ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Exmoor National Park

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make an assessment of the economic impact of the Single Farm Payment on the Exmoor National Park area.

Alun Michael: An assessment of the economic impact of the Single Payment Scheme in England has been placed in the House of Commons' Library (and is available on the Defra website). Data are not available to enable an assessment to be made specifically of impacts within the National Park, but the report contains analysis relating to cattle and sheep farms in the Less Favoured Areas, which is the predominant farm type in National Parks.

Hunting

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many foxes were killed during hunts in each of the last five years.

Alun Michael: The Department does not maintain records of the numbers of foxes killed by hunting each year. However, Lord Burns' report estimates that between 21,000 and 25,000 foxes are killed by hunts each year, which accounts for around 6 per cent. of all fox deaths.

Hunting

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department last met representatives of the League Against Cruel Sports; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: Ministers meet a wide range of people in the course of their day-to-day business. The last meeting between a Defra Minister and representatives of the League Against Cruel Sports took place in August.

Parliamentary Questions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to how many written questions tabled in the last parliamentary Session her Department had been unable to provide a substantive answer before the end of the Session.

Alun Michael: Four of the 4,883 parliamentary questions tabled by MPs in the last Session did not receive a substantive answer before the end of the Session.

Set-aside Rules

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will publish the details of the new set-aside rules.

Alun Michael: We have already published many of the rules concerning set-aside that will apply under the Single Payment Scheme in 2005, including details about which farmers will have to set land aside under the new scheme, how these farmers should calculate the area of land they will need to set aside, and how set-aside entitlements must be used. Guidance about the management rules for set-aside, which will be very similar to the corresponding rules which formerly applied under the Arable Area Payments Scheme, will be published shortly.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Correspondence

Joyce Quin: To ask the Solicitor-General when she will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Gateshead, East and Washington, West dated 4 February.

Harriet Harman: A reply was sent on 5 April 2004. A duplicate copy of that letter has been sent to my hon. Friend on Monday 29 November 2004.

Ministerial Meetings

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Solicitor-General what discussions the Attorney-General held with John Bellinger, senior associate counsel to President Bush and legal adviser to the National Security Council, during his visit to Washington in February 2003.

Harriet Harman: As made clear in paragraph 377 of the Report of the Butler Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction, in order to assist in reaching a concluded view on the proper interpretation of resolution 1441, in February 2003 the Attorney-General met members of the US Administration who, as co-sponsors of the resolution had detailed knowledge of its negotiation. These were confidential Government to Government discussions and their content is covered by legal professional privilege. The detail of the discussion is therefore exempt from disclosure under both paragraphs 1 and 4(d) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Carrier Bags

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much it has cost to produce carrier bags branded with ODPM since 1997.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. Since then the Office has spent £790.00 on the production of 5,000 branded carrier bags at a cost of about 16p per bag.

Departmental Websites

Paul Holmes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department's .gov.uk websites comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines adopted by the Government in 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's main website (www.odpm.gov.uk) and the info41ocal. gov.uk site follow the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content (W3C) Accessibility Guidelines Priority 2 Checkpoints.

Greywater Recycling Systems

Howard Stoate: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures his Department is taking to encourage the installation of domestic greywater recycling systems in (a) new and (b) existing properties.

Phil Hope: Water conservation, including the use of recycled water, is being considered in the current review of Part G, Hygiene, of the Building Regulations. This will provide guidance on how recycled water can be used in new buildings.
	The use of recycled water in existing buildings is being appraised in integrated water management plans for growth areas including the Thames Gateway.

High Hedges

Alan Beith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will issue guidance to local authorities in respect of provisions to address problems with high hedges contained in the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to issue guidance for local authorities at the same time as Regulations to bring Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 into force are laid before Parliament. We expect the complaints system to be fully operational early in 2005.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Registration

Nigel Evans: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what representations the Electoral Commission is making to companies to encourage workers who live abroad to register to vote in British elections.

Peter Viggers: I am advised by the Electoral Commission that it is making no such representations.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Fixed Penalty Notices

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices have been issued for firework abuse since 14 September.

Hazel Blears: The latest provisional data shows that, between 1 October 2003 and 31 October 2004, 302 penalty notices for disorder have been issued by police forces in England and Wales for the offence of throwing fireworks. A further 10 penalty notices have been issued thus far for offences under the Fireworks Regulations 2004, which were implemented on 11 October 2004.

Police

David Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will end the funding rule which results in police authorities facing financial penalties if they fail to maintain officer numbers.

Hazel Blears: The number of police officers in England and Wales reached a new record of 139,728 on 31 August 2004 and we are committed to maintaining these record numbers.
	The major component in the rise in police numbers since March 2000 has been the use of the Crime Fighting Fund. The Fund has supported forces' recruitment of more than 9,500 officers additional to those which forces were already planning to appoint.
	The Home Office will continue to provide funding for these additional posts on condition that the uplift achieved since 2000 is maintained.

Police

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will make an announcement on the Police Grant Settlement.

Hazel Blears: I shall announce details of the provisional police grant settlement for 2005–06 on 2 December.

Police

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the future of the police training centre at Bruche, Warrington;
	(2)  what discussions he has had on the future of the police training centre at Bruche; when these discussions took place; and who was involved in them.

Hazel Blears: The police training centre at Bruche, Warrington, is run by Centrex, the national police training provider. It is currently used to provide the residential Stage 2 of Foundation Training to probationary officers.
	We are currently working on the modernisation of probationer training. Under this, probationers will no longer automatically be sent for residential training at Centrex regional training centres, and the role of Centrex will change, with a greater focus on design, quality assurance and evaluation of training, rather than delivery.
	Taking forward this work has involved extensive discussions between the Home Office and key stakeholders, in particular representatives of the Association of Police Authorities, the Association of Chief Police Officers and Centrex. The Home Office has been represented in these discussions by officials. The discussions have been taking place through most of this year, in particular over the summer, and are still on-going.The modernisation of probationer training will necessarily have implications for the future of Centrex's estate, including the training centre at Bruche. We are still working with Centrex on the details of these.

Police

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of policing incidents arising from excessive alcohol consumption was in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: Police authority accounts are not kept in a form which would make it possible to identify the costs of policing related to alcohol related disorder, and there is no specific grant made available to forces to deal directly with the problems associated with excessive alcohol consumption. It is for individual police forces to decide how they allocate their resources to tackle their crime and disorder priorities.
	The Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England, published on 15 March 2004 estimates that alcohol related crime and disorder costs taxpayers up to £7.3 billion a year.

DEFENCE

Battalion Regiments

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the future new regiments of three battalions will be broken down into heavy, medium and light battalions.

Adam Ingram: Each battalion within the new infantry structure will be allocated one of four roles: armoured, mechanised, light or air assault.

Future Surface Combatant Vessels

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost to public funds has been to date of the Future Surface Combatant assessment studies, broken down by (a) the Triton Trimaran project, (b) the integrated project team and (c) other costs.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 29 November 2004
	At outturn prices, the total estimated cost of the Future Surface Combatant studies from inception to date is £17 million. This figure is comprised of £6.2 million for Trimaran trials, £5.7 million for the Defence Procurement Agency's project team costs and £5.1 million for additional concept studies.

Royal Navy

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many standing tasks the Royal Navy Fleet fulfills; and what assessment he has made of the number of standing tasks to be fulfilled by the Royal Navy in 2008 following the implementation of the decision to reduce the number of frigates and destroyers.

Adam Ingram: Royal Navy frigates and destroyers currently undertake six standing tasks where forces are permanently committed to the task. We are currently developing an effects based approach to programming which is likely to reduce the number of standing tasks before 2008.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Child Care (Wandsworth)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average cost is of providing a child care place in the London borough of Wandsworth.

Margaret Hodge: Data at local authority level on the cost of providing child care places are not collected centrally by the Department.

Education (Wandsworth)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the grants his Department has made for education provision in the London borough of Wandsworth in each of the last three years.

David Miliband: The following revenue and capital grants for each year from 2002–03 have been provided by the Department:
	2002–03
	Revenue
	Nursery Education Grant
	Class Size Grant
	Teachers' Pay Grants
	School Standards Grant
	Learning and Skills Council
	Standards Funds
	Excellence in Cities
	Capital
	Basic LEA co-ordinated voluntary aided programme
	Condition
	Devolved Formula
	Modernisation Voluntary Aided
	School Security
	Seed Challenge
	Staff Workspaces
	Voluntary Aided School Grant
	2003–04
	Revenue
	Teachers' Pay Grants
	School Standards Grant
	Learning and Skills Council
	Standards Funds
	Excellence in Cities
	London Budget Support Grant
	Capital
	Basic LEA co-ordinated voluntary aided programme
	Condition
	Devolved Formula
	Modernisation Voluntary Aided
	Seed Challenge
	Staff Workspaces
	2004–05
	Revenue
	Teachers' Pay Grants
	School Standards Grant
	Learning and Skills Council
	Standards Funds
	Excellence in Cities
	Capital
	Basic LEA co-ordinated voluntary aided programme
	Devolved Formula
	Modernisation (Primary)
	Modernisation LEA
	Seed Challenge
	Sustainable Transport
	The grants for each year are included in the grant total figures in the following table.
	
		Funding for Wandsworth local education authority -- £ million
		
			  EFS/SSA Revenue grants Capital grants 
		
		
			 2002–03 103.9 25.7 8.3 
			 2003–04 114.3 29.0 7.0 
			 2004–05 124.1 29.0 6.3 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Price Base: Cash
	2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of education Standard Spending Assessments/Education Formula Spending settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EPS and LSC.
	3. Funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure
	Limits relevant to pupils aged 3–19 and exclude EMAs and grants not allocated at LEA level.
	4. Where responsibility for funding a school has transferred from an LEA, related funding no longer appears in the series.
	5. Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million.
	6. Status: 2003–04 and 2004–05 figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited.

Home Start

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria he will use to determine which 10 per cent. of local authorities will not receive funding to provide Home Start in 2006–07, as described in the White Paper, Choosing Health, Cm 6374, paragraph 44.

Margaret Hodge: Home Start schemes are independent, voluntary organisations, established by communities themselves and managed locally. Home Start UK works closely with local schemes, supporting them to deliver a high quality home visiting support to families with at least one child under five years. We have significantly increased our funding for Home Start UK from £874,000 in 2003–04 to £2.46 million this financial year to expand the support it offers to local Home Start schemes and increase the availability of Home Start support. Establishing a new local scheme depends on community initiative and Home Start UK seeks to stimulate interest in those areas without existing established home visiting services.

International Student Assessment Study

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the schools in England that were selected for the sample to be included in the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment 2003 study.

David Miliband: The schools for the sample were selected by the PISA international consortium, led by the Australian Centre for Educational Research, that undertook PISA 2003 on behalf of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Participation was voluntary on the part of schools.
	The Department's contractor for PISA 2003, the Office for National Statistics, was responsible for running the study in England. The Data Protection Act requires ONS to honour any pledge that it makes to respondents before taking part in its surveys. Both the sampled schools and sampled pupils were assured before agreeing to co-operate that their decision to take part and the information they gave would be held in confidence by ONS. Consequently ONS cannot release the names of participating or non-responding schools or pupils.

Key Stage 2 Tests

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of 11-year-olds attained Level 4 at Key Stage 2 in each year since 1997, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

David Miliband: holding answer 29 November 2004
	The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Qualifications

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what reasons a GNVQ pass is counted as four GCSE passes in reporting school performance.

David Miliband: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) decide on the equivalence of qualifications. In reaching these decisions they look rigorously at the level of difficulty, the content and size of the qualification. The QCA has established that 6-unit GNVQs are the equivalent of four GCSE passes. It is on this basis, these achievements are included in the School Achievement and Attainment Tables.

Sure Start

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on progress of the West Hendon Sure Start scheme.

Margaret Hodge: Sure Start Underhill and West Hendon, a sixth wave local programme has been offering services to under fours and their families since 2003, so it is in its second year. Compared with other similar programmes it is making reasonable progress and was held to be low risk in its latest risk assessment.
	The figure for the number of children 'reached' for Underhill and West Hendon at September 2004, was 12 per cent. This is slightly lower than the average for fifth and sixth wave programmes in London (20 per cent.) and national average for fifth and sixth wave programmes (15 per cent.). However, when looking at the percentage of new children seen, the local programme's results for September 2004 are clearly higher than the average for London and nationally.
	
		Percentage
		
			 September 2004 Reach New children seen 
		
		
			 Underhill and West Hendon 12 26 
			 London Rounds 5 and 6 average 20 21 
			 National Rounds 5 and 6 average 15 18 
		
	
	Sure Start Underhill and West Hendon will form part of a purpose built children's centre on the site of Parkfield School in West Hendon, to be opened by March 2006. The programme is receiving special support from the Atkins Help Squad, who provide expert advice on capital projects, to ensure the deadline is met.

Teachers (Dismissal/Retirement)

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures have been introduced since 1997 to enable incompetent teachers to be dismissed by their employer; and how many teachers have been subject to those measures.

David Miliband: As a manifesto pledge, action was taken following the 1997 general election to agree new procedures for dealing speedily and fairly with teachers who cannot do the job. A new outline procedure was agreed at a national level among representatives of teacher employers, teacher unions and associations, and other interested parties. Building on this a statutory duty was introduced for all maintained schools to establish procedures for dealing with teacher capability problems, and the Government issued guidance for schools and LEAs in July 2000. We do not collect records centrally on the number of teachers who undergo capability procedures; they would be an unnecessary burden on schools and LEAs.

Teachers (Dismissal/Retirement)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of teachers retired at age 60 in each of the last five years; and what percentage took early retirement in each year.

David Miliband: The following table shows the numbers and percentages of teachers leaving service from maintained sector schools in England who have retired on age grounds at aged 60 or over, prematurely, with actuarially reduced benefit (ARB) or on ill health grounds in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Age 2,260 2,300 2,350 2,640 2,950 
			 Percentage 32 29 30 32 32 
			 Premature 2,650 2,620 1,980 1,720 1,840 
			 Percentage 38 33 25 21 20 
			 ARB — 510 1,380 1,980 2,620 
			 Percentage — 6 17 24 29 
			 Ill health 2,130 2,450 2,220 1,860 1,700 
			 Percentage 30 31 28 23 19 
		
	
	1. Actuarially reduced benefits were introduced in April 2000.
	2. The percentages are calculated from the total number retiring from the maintained school sector during the year.
	Source:
	Database of Teacher Records and Pensioner Statistical System (PENSTATS)

Teachers' Pensions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions his Department has had with the teaching unions regarding teachers' pensions.

David Miliband: Many aspects of the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) have been examined recently by the Teachers' Pensions Review Group (TPRG). The teacher unions from England and Wales represented at the TPRG include the National Union of Teachers, National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education, National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers, Secondary Heads Association, National Association of Head Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.
	Regular meetings of this group have been held since November 2003 and will continue throughout the review of the TPS.

Teachers' Pensions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects of proposed changes to teachers' pensions on recruitment and retention of teachers.

David Miliband: The review of the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) is an opportunity for modernisation in a way that scheme members will value and also secures the long term affordability of the scheme. We have therefore embarked upon a major consultation with interested parties, including individual teachers, to give them an opportunity to comment on range of issues related to the future of the TPS.
	In particular, we are looking at ways of increasing the flexibilities available to teachers over the way in which they plan for their retirement because the more attractive and flexible the TPS is as a benefit to the membership, the greater the contribution it will make to recruitment and retention.
	The consultation document can be found at www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations.

Teachers' Pensions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what ill-health retirement benefits are available to teachers under their pension scheme; and what changes are proposed to those benefits.

David Miliband: The Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) provides for early payment of retirement benefits, comprising annual pension and retirement lump sum, to teachers who become permanently incapacitated. These benefits are normally enhanced in relation to the teacher's age and the amount of pensionable service accrued in the TPS.
	The current consultation on the Review of the TPS seeks views on an alternative approach that recognises the severity of the medical condition and its impact on future earnings capacity. Further details are available on www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations.

TRANSPORT

Barnstaple Bypass

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Barnstaple bypass project was given final approval.

Charlotte Atkins: holding answer 29 November 2004
	Final approval for this scheme was announced on 9 November 2004.

Departmental Websites

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department's .gov.uk websites comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines adopted by the Government in 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Charlotte Atkins: The main Department for Transport web site at http://www.dft.gov.uk has been designed to comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines at double AA level (Level 2). Following an RNIB audit of the site, RNIB asked for further changes, which we are now implementing. RNIB will be undertaking a further audit in December this year to measure progress.
	The Department also maintains a number of .gov.uk web sites. Three of these do not currently fully comply with the guidelines for departmental sites. The specific problems have been identified and actions are being taken to ensure that they will all be compliant with the guidelines as soon as possible.

Level Crossings

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date a red light camera facility to detect crossing infringements was first installed at Beddingham level crossing on the A27; for what reasons it remains inactive; and on what date he expects that it will be operational.

Tony McNulty: This is an operational matter for Network Rail who will write to the hon. Member.

Level Crossings

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent to date in connection with the installation of the red light camera facility at the Beddingham level crossing on the A27.

Tony McNulty: This is an operational matter for Network Rail who will write to the hon. Member.

Level Crossings

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many manned level crossings are operated by each train operating company.

Tony McNulty: Network Rail, as the mainline railway infrastructure manager, operates all level crossings on its national network.

Local Transport Authorities

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when local transport authorities will be informed whether bids for funding for projects have been granted.

Charlotte Atkins: holding answer 29 November 2004
	The Department is currently considering all of the bids for funding under the local transport plan process. The date for decisions for this years settlement has yet to be confirmed, but an announcement will be made in December.

Local Transport Authorities

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date each local transport authority was informed about the postponement of decisions on each local transport project.

Charlotte Atkins: holding answer 29 November 2004
	Decisions on the individual schemes that will comprise this years local transport plan settlement have yet to be made. However, arrangements are in place to ensure that local authorities are informed of decisions as soon as possible after the statement to Parliament.

Local Transport Plans (South West Region)

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the South West Regional Development Agency on the (a) financial and (b) engineering viability of the local transport plan in each local transport authority in the South West Region.

Charlotte Atkins: None. It is for a local authority promoting a local transport scheme to ensure its proposal is supported by a robust appraisal case, and for them to discuss any relevant issues with regional stakeholders. The Department would consider the appraisal case carefully, as part of the decision making process.

Local Transport Plans (South West Region)

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many proposals for final approval from each local transport authority in the South West region have been put on hold.

Charlotte Atkins: The final decision on the schemes that will comprise this years local transport plan settlement, which to postpone and those that should not be taken forward has yet to be made. The Department is currently considering the relative merits of the proposals received in all of regions and an announcement will be made shortly.

Local Transport Plans (South West Region)

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many requests for immediate approval he has received from Somerset county council in relation to the North West Taunton Package; and what discussions he has had with the council on the likely impact of delays in approval.

Charlotte Atkins: Since September my officials have been in discussion with Somerset on the final appraisal of the North West Taunton Package following the approval of the Compulsory Purchase Order for the scheme. As part of these discussions the council have expressed their views on the timing of the scheme to officials in both the DfT and the Government Office. In addition the Department has received a letter from Councillor Carroll and an email from the Leader of the Council, both dated 8 November, which set out Somerset's position in relation to the scheme.

Loran C Navigational System

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether it is the intention of the Government to continue their programme of investment in the Loran C navigational system.

David Jamieson: The General Lighthouse Authorities are planning to operate an experimental Loran C signal from a site near Rugby for a 2-year period, starting early in 2005. Decisions on possible future investment in Loran C will be made in the light of the experience gained and on international developments in the use of this system.

Ministerial Visits

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Ministers from his Department have visited the London borough of Wandsworth in each of the last five years; and what the purpose was of each visit.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department for Transport was formed on 29 May 2002. Since that date no Ministers from the Department have undertaken a departmental visit to Wandsworth.

Train Services (Hereford)

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the First Great Western and Thames Trains about possible reductions to the direct service from Hereford to Paddington;
	(2)  what representations he has received about the direct rail service from Hereford to London.

Tony McNulty: None.

Train Services (Hereford)

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what regulations are in place to preserve the frequency of direct trains from Hereford to London; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Train operating companies must provide a minimum level of service as prescribed by their franchise agreements. Services beyond these minimum levels are provided at operators' discretion on a commercial basis. Under its franchise with the Strategic Rail Authority First Great Western is contractually required to provide one service per day in each direction between Hereford and London to arrive in London by 1000 and depart no earlier than 1700. There is no contractual requirement for First Great Western Link (previously Thames Trains) to run services between Hereford and London.

Unadopted Roads

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unadopted roads there are in (a) Lancashire and (b) Pendle.

Charlotte Atkins: This information is not held centrally.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Commercial Radio Licences

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions Ofcom has held regarding Jazz FM's radio licence requirements; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: The matter raised is the responsibility of Ofcom as independent regulator. DCMS officials have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Commercial Radio Licences

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the criteria by which Ofcom assesses applications for changes to commercial radio licences; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: The criteria are set out in Section 106 of the Broadcasting Act 1990, as amended by Section 312 (3) of the Communications Act 2003, which states:
	Conditions included in a licence for the purposes of subsection (1) may provide that Ofcom may consent to a departure from the character of the licensed service if, and only if, they are satisfied:
	(a) that the departure would not substantially alter the character of the service;
	(b) that the departure would not narrow the range of programmes available by way of relevant independent radio services to persons living in the area or locality for which the service is licensed to be provided;
	(c) that, in the case of a local licence, the departure would be conducive to the maintenance or promotion of fair and effective competition in that area or locality; or
	(d) that, in the case of a local licence, there is evidence that, amongst persons living in that area or locality, there is a significant demand for, or significant support for, the change that would result from the departure.
	The matters to which Ofcom must have regard in determining for the purposes of this section the character of a service provided under a local licence include, in particular, the selection of spoken material and music in programmes included in the service.

Commercial Radio Licences

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the (a) name and (b) marketing of a commercial radio station is taken into consideration when commercial radio licence bids are considered.

Estelle Morris: The matter raised is the responsibility of Ofcom as independent regulator. DCMS officials have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will reply to the letter to her dated 6 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to John Paton.

Estelle Morris: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 26 October 2004.

Sustainable Timber

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the refurbishment projects within her Department that (a) are in progress and (b) will start in the next six months; what action is being taken to ensure that these will procure timber from legal and sustainable sources; and whether guidance will be issued to contractors on each of these projects to ensure that the timber used on site during refurbishment comes from legal and sustainable sources.

Richard Caborn: DCMS has no refurbishment works in progress or planned for the next 12 months. When any such work is undertaken contracts will state the need for certification of timber being used.

Sustainable Timber

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has to fund the establishment and maintenance of the Central Point of Expertise on Timber.

Richard Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 April 2004, Official Report, column 1179W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms Walley).

NORTHERN IRELAND

Fisheries Conservancy Board

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions a Fisheries Conservancy Board vessel under the control of the (a) Chief and (b) Deputy Chief Executive has been returned damaged in each of the last three years; and what the total cost of repair was on each occasion.

Angela Smith: A Fisheries Conservancy Board vessel under the control of the Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive was returned damaged on one occasion. The total cost of repair was £17,981.96 plus VAT.

Fisheries Conservancy Board

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions, after carrying out patrols in a Fisheries Conservancy Board vessel unassisted by other FCB staff, the (a) Chief and (b) Deputy Chief Executive required overnight accommodation charged to the FCB in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: None.

Parliamentary Questions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to how many written questions tabled in the last parliamentary session his Department had been unable to provide a substantive answer before the end of the session.

Paul Murphy: At all times, the Northern Ireland Office will make every effort to answer questions substantively before Prorogation. However, this is not always possible. Where right hon. and hon. Members did not receive a substantive response, it is open to them to re-table their question this session.
	The hon. Member will be aware of the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House of Commons on 21 July concerning "will write" responses. In accordance with that statement, my ministerial colleagues and I answered that 'it had not proved possible to provide a substantive reply' to 15 parliamentary questions.

Waste (Illegal Dumping)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what tonnage of waste is estimated to have been dumped illegally in Northern Ireland since November 2003.

Angela Smith: Although no figures are available for the total volume of illegal waste dumped in Northern Ireland during this period, Environment and Heritage Service estimates that approximately 250,000 tonnes of waste, originating in the Republic of Ireland, have been deposited in illegal sites in Northern Ireland.

Waste (Illegal Dumping)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is being done with the waste illegally dumped in Northern Ireland over the past 12 months.

Angela Smith: Where large-scale illegal deposits of waste have been discovered, cases are being pursued through the Courts against landowners and operators of illegal sites. We are seeking Court decisions that will result in the remediation of sites. Discussions are also continuing with the relevant enforcement authorities in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) with regard to the repatriation of ROI waste illegally deposited in Northern Ireland.

Waste (Illegal Dumping)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress is being made in apprehending those responsible for illegal dumping of waste originating in the Irish Republic in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: EHS has investigated a number of instances where waste originating from the Republic of Ireland has been illegally deposited in Northern Ireland. A number of such cases have been referred to the Public Prosecution Service. To date, no case that has a direct link to waste originating in ROI has been heard. EHS continues to work with the relevant enforcement authorities in ROI to improve the control of waste movements and detect illegal activity.

Worktrack

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent in each year since 2000 on the Worktrack programme in (a) North Belfast and (b) Northern Ireland.

Barry Gardiner: The information is as follows.
	
		£ million
		
			  (a) Expenditure in North Belfast (b) Total Expenditure in Northern Ireland 
		
		
			 1999–2000 0.15 2.486 
			 2000–01 0.78 6.751 
			 2001–02 0.62 8.227 
			 2002–03 0.95 9.156 
			 2003–04 1.14 9.685

Worktrack

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been placed on the Worktrack programme in (a) North Belfast and (b) Northern Ireland in each year since 2000.

Barry Gardiner: The information is as follows.
	
		
			  Number of starts in: 
			  North Belfast Northern Ireland 
		
		
			 1999–2000 43 691 
			 2000–01 203 1,768 
			 2001–02 141 1,880 
			 2002–03 233 2,257 
			 2003–04 255 1,205

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Accounting (EU)

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the quality of accounting practices in the EU institutions.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed this matter with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

British Overseas Territories

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether citizens of British Overseas Territories will be able to vote in the referendum on the EU constitution.

Denis MacShane: The Gracious Speech on 23 November announced that a Bill will be introduced to give effect to the Constitutional Treaty for the European Union, subject to a referendum. The Bill will provide for the holding of the referendum including the franchise. It would not be appropriate to comment on the exact nature of those provisions until a Bill is published. I can confirm however that it is our intention to include the people of Gibraltar in the franchise for the referendum.

Cricket Tour (Zimbabwe)

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice he has given to the England and Wales Cricket Board on the Zimbabwe Government's decision to ban journalists covering the England cricket tour from entering the country.

Chris Mullin: holding answer 29 November 2004
	Officials in London and our embassy in Harare have been in close touch with the England and Wales Cricket Board throughout this period.
	On news of the banning of several UK journalists accompanying the England team, my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. MacShane) summoned the Zimbabwean Chargé d' Affairs on 24 November, to convey our strong concern about this attack on press freedom.
	The Zimbabwean authorities have now decided to accredit the UK journalists. We remain greatly concerned at the broader restrictions on a free media in Zimbabwe.

EU Constitution

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is his Department's policy that all British citizens living overseas should be able to vote in a referendum on the Constitution.

Denis MacShane: A Bill providing for the holding of the referendum is still to be published. However, in general terms a UK citizen who, when resident in the UK, was registered to vote and who then takes up residence abroad is entitled to apply to the electoral registration officer for the area in which they were most recently registered in the UK, in order to be placed on the "overseas electors' list". Entitlement to be included on the overseas electors' list is limited to a period of 15 years from the time that the applicant was last included on a UK electoral register and entitles them to vote in elections in the UK. Those on the overseas electors list would likewise be entitled to vote in a referendum if its franchise were the same as a Parliamentary election in the UK.

Europe Day

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals his Department has to celebrate Europe Day on 9 May 2005; and what budget he has set aside for this purpose.

Denis MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not yet finalised its plans for Europe Day-celebrations. No specific budget has been set aside for such celebrations.

Sudan

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to press for a peace agreement to resolve the conflict affecting Darfur in Sudan.

Chris Mullin: holding answer 29 November 2004
	We are actively pressing the Government of Sudan and the rebels to end the fighting in Darfur and reach a political settlement, and building on the Humanitarian and Security Protocols that were signed on 9 November. We are closely involved in the African Union (AU)-mediated peace talks in Abuja, where the UK participates as an observer. We are working alongside the AU to enhance the AU observer mission in Darfur. And we are continuing to play a leading role in the UN Security Council in maximising the pressure on the parties. Security Council Resolution 1574 reaffirms the readiness of the international community to apply sanctions on the Sudanese parties if they fail to fulfil their commitments.

Sudan

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how much money his Department (a) has given since 1 January and (b) intends to give to the African Union to fund its forces in Darfur; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether it is the Government's policy to give additional financial support to the African Union for the cost of administering its force in Darfur.

Chris Mullin: holding answer 29 November 2004
	The UK is providing significant financial support to the African Union (AU) mission in Darfur, through the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool, which is a joint DFID/FCO/MOD fund.
	In May the UK contributed £2 million to help jump-start the AU mission in Darfur. In August, we helped to pay for the airlift of 150 Nigerian troops into Darfur and provided rations packs at a total cost of approximately £220,000. On 7 October my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a further contribution of £12 million to support the expanded AU mission. It is for the AU to decide exactly how they allocate this money; we are in close touch with them on this.

Sudan

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department has received regarding the likely date by which a peace agreement to resolve the conflict affecting Darfur in Sudan might be signed.

Chris Mullin: holding answer 29 November 2004
	The next round of the African Union-mediated peace talks being held in Abuja is due to begin on 10 December. We will continue to urge the parties to engage seriously and in good faith to reach a political solution to the crisis in Darfur as soon as possible.
	We welcome the commitment to the Security Council in Nairobi by the Government of Sudan and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement to conclude a comprehensive peace agreement by 31 December. The implementation of this agreement should have a positive impact on the situation in Darfur.

CABINET OFFICE

Duchy of Lancaster

Julian Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether an estimate exists of the overall cost within the current budget of her Department of the overall cost of creating a separate Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave him on 10 November 2004, Official Report, column 769W.

Housing Policy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what role he plays in the development of housing policy.

Alan Milburn: As Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, I have a cross Government role in the co-ordination of Government Policy.

Ministerial Responsibilities

Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what Ministerial responsibility he has for (a) crime, (b) jobs, (c) health, (d) education, (e) child care and (f) pensions.

Alan Milburn: As Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, I have a cross Government role in the co-ordination of Government Policy.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Asbestos-related Benefits

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people in (a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom are in receipt of industrial injuries benefit in relation to exposure of asbestos dust;
	(2)  how many people in (a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom have been diagnosed with pleural plaques due to exposure to asbestos dust;
	(3)  show many people in Midlothian have received industrial injuries benefit in the last 10 years due to mesothelioma caused by asbestos dust;
	(4)  show many people in Midlothian are in receipt of industrial injuries benefit due to asbestosis.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 29 November 2004
	Information is not available in the form requested. The available information is in the table.
	
		Number of people in receipt of industrial injuries benefit for prescribed diseases D1, D3, D8 and D9 as at March 2002
		
			 Prescribed Disease Great Britain Scotland 
		
		
			 D1 11,000 1,100 
			 D3 800 — 
			 D8 *100 — 
			 D9 2,400 *200 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are from a 10 per cent. sample. Figures marked * are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should only be used as a guide to the correct situation. Figures are not available at constituency level.
	2. — denotes nil or negligible.
	3. Industrial injuries disablement benefit is currently payable for four prescribed diseases to people whose jobs involved working with asbestos or being exposed to asbestos after 4 July 1948. These are: D1-Pneumoconiosis, D3-Diffuse mesothelioma, D8-Primary carcinoma of the lung with accompanying evidence of one or both (A) asbestos (B) unilateral or bilateral diffuse pleural thickening and D9-Unilateral or bilateral diffuse pleural thickening.
	4. D1 relates to all Pneumoconiosis cases only some of which (an unknown proportion) are asbestos related. Prescribed diseases D3, D8 and D9 are all asbestos related.
	5. Pleural plaques is not a prescribed disease for industrial injuries disablement benefit.

Benefit Processing

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the suitability of Inverness as a site for benefit processing; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he will make a decision on the location of the six benefit processing centres in Scotland.

Jane Kennedy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. David Stewart, dated 30 November 2004
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions concerning the suitability of Inverness as a site for benefit processing and when a decision will be made on the location of the benefit processing centres in Scotland. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	You will recall that the Secretary of State, Alan Johnson, announced in September that(subject to detailed planning(benefit processing will in future be carried out in 8 sites in Scotland, The locations chosen are: Inverness, Coatbridge, Kilmarnock, Glasgow, Springburn, Bathgate, Clydebank and Greenock. Further detailed planning and design work is continuing in these sites, and I expect to be in a position to confirm these choices early in the New Year.
	I can confirm that, following appraisals undertaken by our Project Team, the social security office in Inverness appears suitable for conversion to a processing centre and remains part of our current plans for benefit processing in Scotland.
	I hope this is helpful.

Carers

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to continue carer's allowance payments to those entitled upon their take-up of state pension; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: No. It is a basic principle of the social security system that only one benefit at a time can be paid for the same purpose. Even though the circumstances which give rise to entitlement to carer's allowance and state pension are different, they are both designed to provide a degree of replacement for lost or foregone income. Carer's allowance replaces income where the carer is over working age or has to give up the chance of working to look after a severely disabled person, while state pension replaces income in retirement.
	Carer's allowance is therefore not payable, or not payable in full, in addition to state pension. As the contributory benefit, the payment of state pension takes precedence, either extinguishing or reducing the payment of carer's allowance. Nevertheless, the income of a person in these circumstances will be at least as high as the rate of carer's allowance, and is usually higher. In addition, where the benefit cannot be paid, the person will keep underlying entitlement to carer's allowance, which gives them access to the carer premium in housing benefit and council tax benefit and the additional amount for carers in state pension credit.
	We have no immediate plans to change these arrangements.

Departmental Web Content

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department's .gov.uk websites comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines adopted by the Government in 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: We test all of our departmental websites against the minimum level of the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines as outlined in the Government Guidelines for UK Websites. Several of our sites already meet or exceed these. These are:
	www.thepensionservice.gov.uk
	www.childsupportagencv.gov.uk
	www.disabilitv.gov.uk
	www.europeansocialfund.gov.uk.
	www.emetaskforce.gov.uk
	The first three of these have also achieved the RNIB "See It Right" accreditation.
	Where we have identified websites that do not yet meet the minimum standard, we are working towards achieving them as part of existing redevelopment plans. Sites being worked on currently include:
	www.dwp.gov.uk
	www.worktrain.gov.uk
	www.iobcentreplus.gov.uk.
	Our aim is to exceed the minimum prescribed 'Level A' standard wherever possible, achieving "Level AA" or better.

Incapacity Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average weekly payment of income support was to recipients of incapacity benefit credits only in each year since 1997.

Chris Pond: The information is in the table.
	
		Average weekly payment of income support for working-age claimants receiving both income support and incapacity benefit credits-only
		
			 May £ 
		
		
			 1997 79.70 
			 1998 82.38 
			 1999 84.90 
			 2000 88.43 
			 2001 93.00 
			 2002 94.63 
			 2003 98.10 
			 2004 98.90 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Working age claimants are men aged 16–64 and women aged 16–59.
	2. Includes income support paid to single people, couples and families.
	3. Includes pension credit payments to men aged 60–64.
	4. Number is taken from a 5 per cent. sample and is subject to a degree of sampling error.
	5. There will also be some incapacity benefit credits-only claimants who do not receive income support. These have not been included in the data.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. samples.

New Deal for the Disabled

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the renewal of contracts from April 2005 with those organisations that are contracted to deliver the New Deal for Disabled People.

Jane Kennedy: All current New Deal for Disabled People contracts cover the period to March 2006 and, consequently, there are no plans for any renewals from April 2005.

Parliamentary Questions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how many written questions tabled in the last parliamentary session his Department had been unable to provide a substantive answer before the end of the session.

Maria Eagle: None.

Pensioners (Cold Weather)

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action he is taking to reduce the number of winter deaths of pensioners due to cold weather.

Stephen Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Jarrow (Mr. Stephen Hepburn) on 18 November 2004, Official Report, column 1945–47W.

Social Fund

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Social Fund crisis loan applications were received in Edinburgh Lothians and the borders in each of the last five years; and how many of these applications were successful.

Chris Pond: The information is in the table.
	
		Crisis Loan applications received and initial awards made in the area covered by Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders Jobcentre Plus District
		
			  Applications Initial awards 
		
		
			 1999–2000 36,100 27,100 
			 2000–01 39,200 30,900 
			 2001–02 47,600 38,700 
			 2002–03 50,600 41,500 
			 2003–04 48,600 38,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Only the numbers of initial awards have been given, information regarding awards subsequently given on review is not included.
	2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.
	Source:
	DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

SCOTLAND

Petrol Prices

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Treasury regarding petrol prices in remote areas in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend has regular discussions with the Chancellor on a wide range of issues.

Health Provision (Borders)

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on levels of health provision in border areas.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend meets the First Minister regularly to discuss a wide range of issues.

Child Support Agency

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding the operation of the Child Support Agency in Scotland.

Alistair Darling: I have discussions with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on a range of issues.

Jobcentre Plus (Lanarkshire)

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from client groups in relation to the Jobcentre Plus roll-out programme in Lanarkshire.

Alistair Darling: I have not received any representations on the subject of the Jobcentre Plus roll-out programme in Lanarkshire from client groups, but I am fully aware of the concerns my hon. Friend has voiced with regard to the changes in the Job Centre Plus network in Scotland, including those affecting his constituency.
	The impact on jobs and services does vary from location to location in Scotland but, overall, the picture and shape of Job Centre Plus business is changing and in some areas the changes are significant. Where closures are being considered DWP have made clear that they wish to pursue different means of delivering services with partner organisations in the locality. These options have been discussed with MPs and other interested parties.

Carer's Benefit

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the numbers of people in Scotland claiming carer's benefit.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend has discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on a range of issues. There are 41,695 people in Scotland receiving carer's allowance.

Scottish Regiments

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence since 26 October regarding the future of Scottish Infantry Regiments.

Alistair Darling: My right hon. Friend and I have had recent discussions on a range of issues including the future of the Scottish infantry regiments.

Scottish Regiments

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence in the last month on the future of the Scottish infantry regiments.

Alistair Darling: My right hon. Friend and I have had recent discussions on a range of issues including the future of the Scottish infantry regiments.

Rail Services

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with (a) the First Minister and (b) train operating companies in respect of the recent timetable changes on the West Coast Main Line.

Alistair Darling: Recent timetable changes reflect the outcomes of the Strategic Rail Authority's "West Coast Strategy" for extensive up-grading work on this line. The strategy was published in July 2003 following extensive consultation with the rail industry, the Scottish Executive, national and local politicians, local authorities and others.

Fisheries

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Fisheries Commissioner on the impact of the Common Fisheries Policy on Scotland.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend and I have had no recent discussions with the Fisheries Commissioner. Fisheries is a devolved matter and the Scottish Executive Minister for Environment and Rural Development is fully involved in the development and presentation of the UK position in Brussels. I keep in close touch with developments.

Public Sector Job Relocation

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the impact of the Lyons Review in areas of Scotland not named in the King Sturge report; and what role his Department is taking in public sector job relocation to Scotland.

Alistair Darling: The King Sturge report was intended to be used as a guide to Departments when considering relocation opportunities and is not definitive. The choice of locations is for individual Departments to decide based on operational need.
	I have made the advantages of Scotland as a location clear to other Government Departments and have encouraged them to consider Scotland when reviewing relocation plans. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State, has agreed to a meeting to discuss the matter further.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL

Devolution (Prisons)

Rosemary McKenna: To ask the Advocate-General how many devolution issues she has dealt with regarding prisoner complaints about prison conditions.

Lynda Clark: I have received intimation of 175 devolution issues minutes which concern prisoner complaints regarding prison conditions.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Citizenship Education

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Leader of the House what representations he has made to Education Ministers to give more emphasis to Parliament in the school citizenship syllabus.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend has drawn to the attention of the Secretary of State for Education and Skills the recommendation of the Modernisation Committee, in its report on "Connecting Parliament with the Public", that Ministers re-examine the balance of the citizenship curriculum to ensure that it provides young people with an understanding of Parliament and the political process.

Post-legislative Scrutiny

Tony Wright: To ask the Leader of the House what plans he has to bring forward proposals for improving post-legislative scrutiny.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend is sympathetic to the case for more post-legislative scrutiny, both with Government and by Parliament, though he is conscious of the potential resource implications. The Government are currently considering its response to the recent report of the House of Lords Constitution Committee on "Parliament and the Legislative Process", which contains a number of recommendations in this area.

Parliamentary Questions

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Leader of the House if he will bring forward proposals to carry over written questions unanswered at the end of one session to the start of the next.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so. I refer my hon. Friend again to the Written Ministerial Statement which the Leader of the House made on 21 July 2004, Official Report, column 35WS, on "I will write replies".

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Advantage West Midlands

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the projects and investments undertaken by Advantage West Midlands meet European state aid requirements.

Jacqui Smith: Advantage West Midlands (AWM) works within the policy and performance framework provided by the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 and guidance and direction issued by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. This policy framework ensures among other things, that particular programmes or projects do not conflict with national or European rules or agreements, such as state aids.
	AWM has incorporated State Aids considerations into its project appraisal system to ensure that all projects are compliant with Current State Aids rules. AWM also employs both a state aid and legal advisor to ensure compliance and to offer the necessary support and guidance to its personnel.

Advantage West Midlands

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to which projects Advantage West Midlands has issued letters imposing claw-back requirements so that funding may be withheld or withdrawn even if schemes reach output performance targets.

Jacqui Smith: When Advantage West Midlands (AWM) contracts with partners, it issues the standard grant contract that clearly defines the claw-back conditions upon which grant is offered and relates to non-performance or breach of contract. AWM has not issued any letters imposing claw-back of funding to a partner when the partner has met their output performance requirements.

Advantage West Midlands

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether Advantage West Midlands is expected to meet key performance targets on (a) learning opportunities created, (b) jobs created and safeguarded, (c) new business created and attracted and (d) other areas in (i) 2004–05 and (ii) 2005–06.

Jacqui Smith: As with all regional development agencies, (RDAs) Advantage West Midlands (AWM) performance is currently measured against key five core performance outputs, known as Tier 3. The following table shows the targets agreed with AWM for 2004–05.
	
		£
		
			 Tier 3 milestones Target 2004–05 
		
		
			 Jobs created and safeguarded 11,200 
			 Businesses created or assisted 220 
			 Brownfield land 75 
			 Learning opportunities created 9,700 
			 Investment benefiting deprived areas 10,000,00 
		
	
	All RDAs will shortly be submitting their mid-year progress reports on their achievements against the 2004–05 Tier 3 targets. The results are expected to be laid before Parliament, before the Christmas Parliamentary Recess. Similarly, the end of year results for achievements against the Tier 3 targets will be published next summer.
	2004–05 will be the last year for Tier 3 outputs. For 2005–06 we are introducing a new performance Framework for RDAs, known as the Tasking Framework, and the final version of this is expected to be issued shortly. All RDAs will need to set their 2005–06 targets in the context of this new framework.

Advantage West Midlands

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much Advantage West Midlands will make available for revenue funding on new projects in (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06 (i) in regeneration zones and (ii) elsewhere in the region.

Jacqui Smith: Advantage West Midlands (AWM) has provided £19.8 million of revenue resources to the Regeneration Zones in 2004–05 which has now been legally committed in full. AWM's allocation for 2005–06 has not yet been confirmed by Government.
	AWM currently has no revenue resources available for new projects in 2004–05, whether in or outside the Regeneration Zone.

Batteries

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of alternatives to nickel-cadmium batteries for uses that (a) require reliability and high discharge and charge rates and (b) need to operate at low temperatures.

Mike O'Brien: The Department keeps under review published information on the technical performance of rechargeable batteries, such as nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion varieties.

Better Regulation Team

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what occasions her Department's Better Regulation team has stipulated that DTI policy officials give serious consideration to alternatives to state regulation since 2002.

Nigel Griffiths: It is an integral part of the Better Regulation team's ongoing work to ensure that policy officials give serious consideration to alternatives to state regulation.

Better Regulation Team

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what occasions her Department's Better Regulation team has involved independent experts in regulatory policy making since 2002.

Nigel Griffiths: Departmental policy is to consult widely on all regulatory policy proposals. This ensures that all interested parties, including independent experts, have the opportunity to contribute.

Business Support

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding each Knowledge Transfer Partner sponsor provided in the last year for which figures are available; and what each sponsor's criteria for funding are.

Nigel Griffiths: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 November 2004, Official Report, column 1906W.

Business Support

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many Knowledge Transfer Partnerships have been part-funded by Government grant; and what the total cost of these grants was.

Nigel Griffiths: In 2003–04 there were 285 Knowledge Transfer Partnerships at a cost of £13,906,499.
	The total number of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships since the launch in July 2003 until 30 September 2004 has been 529 at a cost of £28,721,457.
	Since the launch of the Teaching Company Scheme (TCS the forerunner of KTP) in 1975, until the launch of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) in July 2003, there, have been 4458 Partnerships at a cost of £242,483,844.

Business Support

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses in each region have benefited from a Grant for Investigating an Innovative Idea; and to what value.

Nigel Griffiths: 371 businesses have benefited from a Grant for Investigating an Innovative Idea since its launch in June 2003, with a total value of £2,056,941. This is split by region as follows:
	
		
			   Region Number of businesses receiving grant for III Total value of offers (£) 
		
		
			 East 65 355,804 
			 East Midlands 76 391,508 
			 London 45 251,294 
			 North East 1 8,100 
			 North West 14 95,489 
			 South East 49 283,180 
			 South West 26 136,609 
			 West Midlands 48 269,359 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 47 265,597

Business Volunteering Mentoring Scheme

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which businesses are involved in the Business Volunteering Mentoring Scheme; and what assessment she has made of the scheme's contribution to British enterprise.

Nigel Griffiths: There are currently about 1,000 active mentors.
	The Business Volunteer Mentoring (BVM) initiative aims to assist pre and early start-up business with free mentoring support. Some 37,000 clients have been assisted under it and regular reports are received on client feedback and other aspects of the initiative's progress. An initial assessment of the BVM was conducted in 2001, following the first year pilot phase, and it is envisaged that a further review may be conducted as part of a wider assessment of the provision of start-up support.

Citizens Advice Bureaux

Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to give resources to citizens advice bureaux to enable them to improve the money advice service that they provide.

Gerry Sutcliffe: As announced in the 2004 Spending Review, the Government wish to see a significant increase in the capacity of the free face-to-face money advice sector over the Spending Review period. The Government will invite proposals to expand the provision of advice from potential providers and will also pilot different models of debt outreach. More details on these proposals will be published later in the year.

Compliance Costs

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of the costs to business of compliance with regulations imposed by her Department in the last year for which figures are available.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 29 November 2004
	All proposals which impact on business, charities or the voluntary sector require a regulatory impact assessment (RIA) which includes details of the costs, benefits and risks of the proposal. RIAs are subject to public consultation and copies of final RIAs are available from the House Libraries and on departmental websites.

Debt

Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she is taking to curb the levels of personal debt.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Credit is an integral part of our daily lives. It makes a vital contribution to the UK economy: driving economic activity by allowing consumers flexibility in how they choose to access the marketplace and manage their finances; and enabling resources to be put to their most efficient use. Manageable borrowing provides an immense benefit and, in the majority of cases, consumers are using credit successfully.
	We have introduced regulations to improve the transparency of the form and content of credit agreements, empowering consumers by ensuring that they have all the relevant information necessary to make informed decisions about their borrowing. We will shortly be introducing the Consumer Credit Bill which will strengthen the credit licensing regime and end unfair selling practices, so strengthening responsible lending.
	In the minority of cases where credit leads to over-indebtedness we are working to improve the support and processes for those who have fallen into debt. On 20 July 2004 I published "Tackling Over-indebtedness—Action Plan 2004" which sets out work across Government to bring out a step change in the availability of free debt advice, ensure that wherever possible, debt problems and disputes are resolved without the stress and additional expense of court proceedings and improve the insolvency and court provisions for those needing to access them.

Energy Supplies

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has made for the delivery of secure energy supplies this winter; and what the make-up of those supplies is.

Mike O'Brien: The Government are committed to maintain secure energy supplies—it is one of the four goals of the Government's energy policy as set out in the Energy White Paper, which we published in February 2003. We believe that a diverse market-based approach is the best way of delivering energy security.
	This approach is working well. National Grid Transco's assessment in their "Winter Outlook Report" is that supplies of gas should be sufficient to meet this winter's needs. National Grid also advise that there is enough electricity generating capacity to meet demand, although guarantees of 100 per cent. security can never be given.
	Electricity is generated from a number of different sources in the UK, including gas, coal and oil burn, renewable generation and nuclear power. The overall balance between these different sources is a matter for the market.

EU Battery Directive

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the UK Government's position on the proposed EU Battery Directive [COM (2003) 723 final].

Mike O'Brien: While the Government supports the two broad perspective of the proposed Directive on Batteries and Accumulators—to contribute to a high level of environmental protection and to contribute to the proper functioning of the internal market, the detail is still being discussed. These seek to reduce the quantity of hazardous and non-hazardous waste batteries going to landfill and would increase recovery of their materials. At the same time, the Government wants an effective and workable Directive whose costs are proportionate to its environmental benefits.

Financial Advice

Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the need for (a) money advice and (b) debt counselling services.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We have carried out various pieces of work with the free debt advice sector to assess the need for money advice and debt counselling services. This includes work to evaluate the National Debtline and work to identify the potential shortfall in supply versus demand for free debt advice services for the telephone gateway project.
	We continue to work closely with the Department for Constitutional Affairs to examine the effects of debt advice and methods of delivery. The Department for Constitutional Affairs has recently commissioned the Legal Services Research Centre to carry out research into the impact of debt advice. This work is expected to report back towards the end of 2005.

Fuel Poverty

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) fuel-poor and (b) vulnerable fuel-poor households there were in (i) the UK, (ii) each region and (iii) each constituency in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Since 1996, the number of fuel poor households in the UK is as follows.
	
		Number in fuel poverty -- Million
		
			  1996 1998 2001 2002 
		
		
			 England 4.3 3.3 1.7 1.4 
			 Scotland 0.7 — — 0.3 
			 Wales — 0.2 — — 
			 Northern Ireland — 0.2 0.16 — 
			 UK Estimate 5.5 4.5 2.4 2.1 
			 Vulnerable Groups 4.0 3.7 2.2 1.75 
		
	
	Figures for 1997, 1999 and 2000 are not available. In addition, as fuel poverty is a devolved issue, figures have been collected on a country-by-country basis, with varying definitions and time frames covered.
	Data for England will, in future, be sourced from this new rolling English House Condition Survey (conducted by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister), and will be published annually. The first set of annual data, that for 2003, will be published in 2005 in the 3rd UK Fuel Poverty Strategy Annual Report.
	Data is available for Scotland based on the 2002 Scottish House Condition Survey, conducted by Communities Scotland. The first set of regular annual data for Scotland will be released in 2007, and will relate to 2006 figures.
	Northern Ireland will continue with a five-yearly House Condition Survey and the next survey will be conducted in 2006.
	The Welsh Assembly's current estimates of fuel poverty are based on eligibility for the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme. Initial results of the new Welsh Household and Dwelling Survey are likely to be available in 2005, and thereafter annually.
	More detailed Regional data has been extrapolated from the 2001 English House Condition Survey as follows:
	
		
			 Government office region Number of households in fuel poverty 
		
		
			 North East 105,000 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 238,000 
			 North West 277,000 
			 East Midlands 160,000 
			 West Midlands 228,000 
			 South West 201,000 
			 Eastern 139,000 
			 South East 224,000 
			 London 148,000 
		
	
	No data is available at constituency level.

Gas

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with (a) other countries and (b) UK companies on the prospects for importing gas from abroad; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Further to the answer given by the then Minister for Energy, the hon. Member for East Ham (Mr. Timms), gave to the hon. Member's question on 13 May 2004, Official Report, column 504W.
	Negotiations with the Norwegians for a new Framework Treaty are nearing completion. The Treaty will facilitate a wide range of cross-boundary projects and in particular the construction of the new Langeled South gas pipeline to meet up to 20 per cent. of UK gas demand from winter 2006–07. The new Balgzand—Bacton Dutch Interconnector is also expected to be operational for winter 2006–07.
	During a trade visit to Russia in June, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry held meetings, including with Russian Industry and Energy Minister Victor Khristenko, on a wide range of energy-related matters. Licensing, the regulation of projects under Production Sharing Agreements, and energy co-operation during the UK's G8 and EU Presidencies were some of the issues discussed.
	The department is in regular contact with the commercial sponsors of gas import projects. And, although progressing gas import projects is a commercial matter, the Joint Energy Security of Supply Working Group (JESS), chaired by DTI, publishes a regular overview of security of supply indicators, including details of forthcoming planned gas import projects.
	As set out in the White Paper "Our energy future—creating a low carbon economy" published in February 2003, the Government believes that allowing the free operation of a competitive British market, within an appropriate regulatory framework, is the most efficient way to ensure security of supply of gas. Commercial operators have incentives to ensure a diversity of sources of gas, of supply routes and of entry points so as to reduce the risk of supply interruption through disruption of any one source or supply route.

General Product Safety Directive

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the issues are which have given rise to the delay in the transposition of the General Product Safety Directive 2001/95/EC.

Gerry Sutcliffe: As I stated in my answer of 5 May 2004, Official Report, column 1645W, the main delays have resulted from getting the powers introducing the last resort product recall provisions right. There were also delays at the European Commission in providing guidance to support some important practical aspects of the Directive.
	Other issues have included ensuring compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights, devolution issues and pursuing the possibility through the draft Regulations to be able to prosecute across local authority borders for breaches of the Regulations and more efficient product safety enforcement.

Glenmorangie

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will refer the acquisition of Glenmorangie by LVMH to the Competition Commission.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The independent competition authorities (the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission) are responsible under the Enterprise Act 2002 for decision-making in merger cases, with Ministers having no role in this process. The Office of Fair Trading undertakes an initial investigation of each merger case before deciding whether to refer to the Competition Commission.

Job Creation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of jobs which (a) moved abroad from the UK and (b) were created in the UK in 2004.

Patricia Hewitt: There are no official estimates of this kind. Announcements by companies of decisions to transfer operations offshore do not necessarily imply equivalent job losses in the UK. They can be accounted for by business growth, and are often accompanied by no compulsory redundancy policies. Offshoring also represents a very small amount of activity compared to total UK employment, which at 28 million is now at record levels.

Miners' Compensation Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  if she will list the top 100 solicitors with unsettled claims under the coalminers compensation scheme, broken down by number of claims for (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and (b) vibration white finger:
	(2)  if she will list the top 100 solicitors in terms of fees paid by the Department under the coalminers' compensation scheme; and how much each has been paid to date:
	(3)  what the average settlement is for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and vibration white finger claims for the top 100 solicitors, defined by number of claims submitted, under the coalminers' compensation scheme.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answers 29 November2004
	IRISC, the Department's claim handlers, are unable to provide the statistics in the format requested in the time available.

Miners' Compensation Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been paid to the Union of Democratic Mineworkers for carrying out spirometry testing under the coalminers' compensation scheme.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 29 November 2004
	The UDM have never carried out spirometry testing however Atos origin had previously leased premises from the UDM at Berry Hill in Mansfield for carrying out spirometry testing. They have since moved out. Any financial arrangements with the UDM regarding the premises are a matter for UDM and Atos origin.

Parliamentary Questions

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons it did not prove possible to provide a substantive response before Prorogation to the question number 185322 tabled by the hon. Member for Gordon (Malcolm Bruce).

Gerry Sutcliffe: Regrettably the database used by the Department did not identify the hon. Member's outstanding question as remaining unanswered until just prior to Prorogation. However I have now provided him with a substantive answer and have arranged for a copy of the letter to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Office

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria her Department uses to determine a qualifying settlement of fewer than 10,000 inhabitants for the purposes of the Sub-Post Office Start-up Capital Subsidy Scheme.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The decision to classify a post office branch as urban or rural is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. The company classifies as rural any post office within a community of less than 10,000 inhabitants. Above that the post office is classified as urban. I understand that the company has a sophisticated geographical mapping model that enables them to adopt a consistent approach to classification across the country.

Post Office

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Post Office about the continuance of the free postal service for people who are blind; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no discussions with Royal Mail regarding the continuation of its free articles for the blind service. However, I understand that they remain committed to continuing this valuable service.

Post Office Closures

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the post offices which have closed in (a) the 10 per cent. most deprived wards and (b) the 20 per cent. most deprived wards in each year since 2000, broken down by region.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We do not hold the requested information. Post office closures are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Office Closures

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the rural post offices which have closed since the introduction of the subsidy to support the rural post office network, broken down by region.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We do not hold the requested information. Post office closures are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Renewable Energy

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much electricity was generated from renewable sources in the most recent year for which figures are available; how much of this amount qualified under the renewables obligation; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The latest available information relates to 2003 and is published in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2004, Table 7.4. In that year 10,649 GWh of electricity was generated from renewable sources (2.7 per cent. of electricity generated in the UK). Of this 7,186 GWh came from sources eligible under the Renewables Obligation (2.2 per cent. of UK electricity sales).

Royal Mail (Size-based Pricing)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Royal Mail about its proposals for size-based pricing; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I meet with Royal Mail Board members from time to time but have had no specific discussions with Royal Mail, or with Postcomm, about size based pricing.
	Royal Mail's application to introduce size based pricing is currently being considered by the postal regulator, Postcomm. The progress made in considering the application and the assessment of the effect of size based pricing are matters for Royal Mail and Postcomm.

Royal Mail (Size-based Pricing)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the Royal Mail's proposals for size-based pricing on the mail order photofinishing industry.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Royal Mail's application to introduce size based pricing is currently being considered by the postal regulator, Postcomm. The progress made in considering the application and the assessment of the effect of size-based pricing are matters for Royal Mail and Postcomm.
	Postcomm is considering the large number of responses they received to their consultation on Royal Mail's proposals. In view of the complexity of the issues involved and the significant implications for many Royal Mail customers, Postcomm and Royal Mail have agreed that more time is required to assess the size-based pricing proposal. Accordingly, the earliest implementation date, if the application is allowed to proceed, will be April 2006.

Royal Mail (Size-based Pricing)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact on the greetings card industry of the Royal Mail's proposals to move to size-based pricing.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Royal Mail's application to introduce size-based pricing is currently being considered by the postal regulator, Postcomm. The progress made in considering the application and the assessment of the effect of size-based pricing are matters for Royal Mail and Postcomm.
	Postcomm is considering the large number of responses they received to their consultation on Royal Mail's proposals. In view of the complexity of the issues involved and the significant implications for many Royal Mail customers, Postcomm and Royal Mail have agreed that more time is required to assess the size-based pricing proposal. Accordingly, the earliest implementation date, if the application is allowed to proceed, will be April 2006.

Utilities (Appointment Times)

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make representations to the utility regulators to place conditions on utility providers to ensure that appointment times for provision of services are made time specific.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 29 November 2004
	I have no such plans. Under Guaranteed Standards of Performance, introduced by the regulator, gas and electricity companies are already obliged to make a morning or afternoon appointments or, if requested by the customer, a timed appointment. Failure to meet the standard, including failing to keep the appointment without adequate notice results in a £20 payment to the customer.
	The Office of Communications (Ofcom) regulates BT, but has no specific provisions relating to appointments for service provision. BT offers morning or afternoon, appointments and can narrow the slot down to within a two-hour time range if requested. BT will pay the customer 10 compensation for a missed morning or afternoon slot, but tell us they will not guarantee the offering of a two-hour window.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Magistrates Courts (East Anglia)

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs when he next expects to meet representatives of local magistrates from East Anglia to discuss court modernisation programmes.

Christopher Leslie: While I have no immediate plans to meet magistrates from East Anglia, I am happy to consider any invitations to do so. Officials in my Department are already in dialogue with the shadow courts boards in East Anglia. They will consider the local courts' draft business plan in consultation with magistrates and other interested parties.

House of Lords

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on reforming the House of Lords.

Christopher Leslie: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave the hon. Gentleman for Cannock Chase earlier today.

Electoral Reform

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Secretary of State has to change the electoral system for elections to the House of Commons.

Christopher Leslie: The Government remain committed to their manifesto in respect of electoral systems and will make an announcement on the time of a review at an appropriate moment.

Claims Direct

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what discussions his Department has had with representatives of Claims Direct in the last five years.

David Lammy: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 29 November 2004, Official Report, column 29W.

Court Dress

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what progress is being made in reforming court dress.

Christopher Leslie: The Lord Chancellor plans to discuss the way forward on court working dress with the senior judiciary.

Supreme Court

David Kidney: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what progress has been made in locating suitable premises for the proposed Supreme Court.

Christopher Leslie: The Government have previously announced that Middlesex Guildhall and the new wing, Somerset House are under consideration as locations for the Supreme Court. The Government shall continue to investigate the relative qualitative and financial merits of the building options in consultation with the Law Lords, English Heritage and Westminster city council, and will provide an update before the Constitutional Reform Bill reaches this House.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Chris Ruane: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the average length of time taken by courts (a) hearing and (b) granting antisocial behaviour orders was for each court area in the last period for which figures are available.

Christopher Leslie: No data are available on the average length of time taken by the courts to (a) hear or (b) grant antisocial behaviour orders. Information on the length of hearings is not collected on the basis of particular types of proceedings. In July 2004, the Government identified 12 "anti-social behaviour response courts" which are focused on dealing effectively with antisocial behaviour in particular on dealing with cases efficiently. We are now seeking to identify further magistrates courts where this approach would be useful, and to roll out the lessons learned to all magistrates courts.

Departmental Websites

Paul Holmes: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether his Department's .gov.uk websites comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines adopted by the Government in 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: My Department, as a service provider, is obliged by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to make its public facing online services and publications accessible and to provide alternative user-friendly formats on request. This is in line with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (version l.0). The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) adheres to these guidelines. 90 per cent. of publications uploaded to our site are in HTML format.

Electoral Review

Anne Campbell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs when he expects to announce the review of electoral systems.

Christopher Leslie: The Government remain committed to their manifesto in respect of the reviews of electoral systems and will make any announcement on the time of a review at an appropriate moment.

Legal Aid

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Department has to promote the use of legal expenses insurance to the public as an addition to the cover provided by civil legal aid.

David Lammy: The Government welcome the continuing growth in the market for "before-the-event" legal expenses insurance. We understand from insurance firms themselves that the breadth of coverage for LEI has grown substantially in recent years, and this has encouraged the Government in their wish to focus civil legal aid more carefully on the most vulnerable.
	A consultation has recently closed on a package of reforms to the civil legal aid scheme to encourage early resolution of disputes; discourage unnecessary litigation and re-prioritise funding to ensure it is better targeted at deserving cases. This included a proposal to identify those applicants with "before-the-event" insurance early on, so that they can rely on this insurance rather than on public funding. We will announce the way forward on this in due course.

Libra Project

Edward Leigh: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the 44th report from the Committee of Public Accounts, Session 2002–03, whether the Libra Project is being delivered on (a) time and (b) budget; and what steps the Department has taken to ensure that outcome.

Christopher Leslie: Libra IT infrastructure was delivered two months early—in September 2003. The development of the Libra case management software is, however, taking longer than anticipated. We are working with our suppliers to establish a firm schedule for deployment and expect to be able to confirm this before Christmas. Precise costs depend on rollout timing, but the Department expects to manage any changes within its overall allocation and without any increase in the amount paid for the software.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Website (Young People)

David Stewart: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire representing the House of Commons Commission what representations he has received in favour of a House of Commons website for young people aimed at increasing turnout at the next election.

Archy Kirkwood: The Commission has not received any such submissions from the public. It agrees with the Modernisation Committee that the Parliament website should be continually improved. There have been a number of recent improvements with more to come. Research will shortly be commissioned on how the website could be better designed to reach out to various target audiences, and especially to be more accessible to young people.

TREASURY

Afghanistan

David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent on operations in Afghanistan; and how much has been allocated for future operations.

Paul Boateng: Between 2001–02 and 2003–04 MOD drew down a total of £677 million through Main and Supplementary Estimates for the military operations in Afghanistan.
	It is too early to assess the costs for 2004–05 and subsequent financial years.

Africa (Debt Cancellation)

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which countries in Africa have had their debts cancelled in each of the last three years.

Stephen Timms: Since September 2003, seven countries (Guyana, Nicaragua, Niger, Ethiopia, Senegal, Ghana, Madagascar) have reached completion point in the HIPC initiative. All of these countries are now receiving irrevocable debt relief, taking the total number of post-completion point countries to 15 (March 2003—Benin, Mali; June 2002—Mauritania; April 2002—Burkina Faso; November 2001—Tanzania; September 2001—Mozambique; June 2001—Bolivia; May 2000—Uganda).
	A further 12 countries are at decision point and are receiving interim debt relief (July 2003—Dem. Rep. of Congo; March 2002—Sierra Leone; May 2001—Chad; December 2000—Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Malawi, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Zambia; October 2000—Cameroon; June 2000—Honduras).
	However many countries are still having to chose between servicing their debt and investing in health, education, infrastructure and other areas necessary to allow them to attain the Millennium Development Goals. That is why the UK is proposing that we match bilateral debt relief of up to 100 per cent. with multilateral debt relief of up to 100 per cent. The UK will provide its share, approximately 10 per cent., of multilateral debt owed by eligible countries to the International Development Association and African Development Bank, and will continue to call on others to join us in this initiative.

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax

Roy Beggs: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value of revenue from taxation of alcohol and alcoholic products was in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

John Healey: Excise duty receipts for alcoholic products are included in the HM Customs and Excise 'Bulletins', for Spirits, Wine, Beer and Cider, which can be found on a HM Customs and Excise website address at:
	<http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=statbulltwo>.
	The estimated Value Added Tax (VAT) receipts for alcohol products for the financial year 2003–04 are not available, as information on VAT for included products is not routinely collected.

Childbirths

Martin Linton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children have been born to mothers resident in each constituency in the UK since 1 September 2002.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mr. Martin Linton, dated 30 November 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the number of children born to mothers resident in each constituency of the UK since 1st September 2002. I am replying in his absence. (199495)
	I am placing information on the number of live births by parliamentary constituency in the House of Commons library.

Cold-related Deaths

Colin Challen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many winter cold related deaths have been recorded in each year since 1997, broken down by country and region in the UK; and how many of these were attributed to hypothermia.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Dennis Roberts to Mr. Colin Challen, dated 30 November 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many winter cold-related deaths have been recorded in each year since 1997, broken down by country and region in the UK; and how many of these were attributed to hypothermia. I am replying in his absence. (199698)
	Numbers of cold-related deaths are not available, as cold is not recorded as a cause of death in itself. ONS does however publish annual excess winter death figures. These are the excess number of deaths each winter compared to the average during other months of the year. These figures are not routinely calculated for the United Kingdom but results for England and Wales and Government Office Regions in England have been published for winters from 1991/1992 to 2003/2004. This report, "Excess Winter Mortality—By Age Group and Region" can be found on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=7089
	For the period 1997 to 2003 (the latest year for which data are currently available) the annual total number of deaths where hypothermia was mentioned on the death certificate are presented in the attached table.
	
		Deaths with a mention of hypothermia(1) on the death certificate, for the United Kingdom and constituent countries and Government Office Regions in England(2)1997 to 2003(3)
		
			 Country/Government Office Region 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 439 422 403 373 336 259 236 
			 
			 England 343 326 305 298 244 176 176 
			 North East 11 18 8 15 8 10 5 
			 North West 34 36 38 39 31 23 17 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 29 39 30 23 29 19 20 
			 East Midlands 21 26 41 26 20 13 16 
			 West Midlands 41 48 49 45 32 26 23 
			 East of England 57 42 44 48 35 19 23 
			 London 37 33 28 32 18 16 20 
			 South East 59 54 42 49 39 31 33 
			 South West 54 30 25 21 32 19 19 
			 
			 Wales 14 26 20 14 16 99  
			 Scotland 60 48 66 49 60 61 43 
			 Northern Ireland 22 22 12 12 16 14 8 
		
	
	(1) Deaths with a mention of hypothermia defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code N991.6 for the years 1997 to 2000 and, for the years 2001 to 2003, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code T68.
	(2) Deaths of usual residents for these areas.
	(3) Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year for England and Wales and deaths registered in each calendar year for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
	(4)

Cold-related Deaths

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many excess winter deaths were recorded within (a) the South West Government office region, (b) the North Somerset local authority area and (c) the Weston-Super-Mare constituency in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Dennis Roberts to Mr. Brian Cotter, dated 30 November 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many excess winter deaths were recorded within (a) the South West Government Office Region, (b) the North Somerset local authority area and (c) the Weston-Super-Mare constituency in each of the last five years. I am replying in his absence. (199764)
	The figures requested are presented in the table below from 1998/1999 to 2002/2003, the last winter for which figures are available for local authorities and parliamentary constituencies, and for which final figures have been published for Government Office Regions. For 2003/2004 a provisional figure of 2,300 excess winter deaths has been published for the South West Government Office Region. Figures are not yet available for smaller areas.
	
		Excess winter deaths(4) for winters 1998–99 to 2002–03 -- Excess winter deaths(5)
		
			 Winter South West Government Office Region North Somerset local authority Weston-Super-Mare parliamentary constituency 
		
		
			 1998–99 4,130 160 100 
			 1999–2000 4,730 140 40 
			 2000–01 2,270 130 50 
			 2001–02 2,740 60 60 
			 2002–03 2,360 80 50 
		
	
	(4) Excess winter deaths are defined by the Office for National Statistics as the difference between the number of deaths during the four winter months (December to March) and the average number of deaths during the four preceding months (August to November) and the following four months (April to July).
	(5) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Customs and Excise (Scotland)

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many investigation officers employed by Customs and Excise work (a) full-time and (b) part-time or on secondment within Scotland.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is as follows:
	(a) HM Customs and Excise has 85 Law Enforcement investigation staff based in Scotland including two officers seconded to the Crown Office, Financial Crime Unit and Civil Recovery Unit to support the Lord Advocate's Proceeds of Crime Act strategy.
	(b) There are no part-time investigation officers or investigation officers seconded from elsewhere in the UK to Scotland. However any Law Enforcement investigation officer employed by HM Customs and Excise may be required to work in Scotland in response to operational circumstances.

Departmental Jobs

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) full-time, (b) part-time and (c) temporary jobs his Department and its executive agencies have had in (i) the Scottish Borders and (ii) Scotland since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The answer is given as in the table.
	
		Office of Government Commerce and OGC buying solutions
		
			  Full-time Part-time Temporary 
			 As at 1 April each year Scottish borders Scotland Scottish borders Scotland Scottish borders Scotland 
		
		
			 2002 0 12 0 0 0 0 
			 2003 0 11 0 0 0 0 
			 2004 0 12 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	Note:
	The Office of Government Commerce has been in existence since 1 April 2001.
	
		Inland Revenue
		
			  Full-time Part-time Temporary 
			 As at 1 April each year Scottish borders Scotland Scottish borders Scotland Scottish borders Scotland 
		
		
			 1997 28 n/a 9 n/a 0 60 
			 1998 27 n/a 7 n/a 0 57 
			 1999 28 n/a 8 n/a 0 83 
			 2000 25 5,299 11 1,149 1 53 
			 2001 28 5,334 14 1,225 2 30 
			 2002 27 5,549 14 1,304 0 30 
			 2003 26 6,409 15 2,210 0 0 
			 2004 26 7,245 13 1,913 0 0 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Information is not available for the years marked "n/a" .
	2. The main reason for the IR staffing increase in Scotland over the years is the sitting of a number of the new IR Contact Centres in the Scotland.
	
		Customs and Excise
		
			  Full-time Part-time Temporary 
			 As at 1 April each year Scottish borders Scotland Scottish borders Scotland Scottish borders Scotland 
		
		
			 1997 0 n/a 0 n/a 0 n/a 
			 1998 0 n/a 0 n/a 0 n/a 
			 1999 0 1,309 0 48 0 19 
			 2000 0 1,184 0 86 0 54 
			 2001 0 1,165 0 55 0 20 
			 2002 0 1,120 0 50 0 22 
			 2003 0 1,132 0 48 0 14 
			 2004 0 1,187 0 54 0 13 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Information is not available for the years marked "n/a" .
	2. The Customs and Excise data for 2004 is to be regarded as provisional as it is from internal C&E sources and not from the Civil Service Staffing statistics.
	3. HM Customs and Excise have no offices within the Scottish Borders area and did not have any offices in 1997. Work within this area is covered by staff officially based in Edinburgh and other parts of the Scottish region.
	
		Valuation office
		
			  Full-time Part-time Temporary 
			 As at 1 April each year Scottish borders Scotland Scottish borders Scotland Scottish borders Scotland 
		
		
			 1997 0 78 0 7 0 11 
			 1998 0 74 0 8 0 8 
			 1999 0 71 0 9 0 0 
			 2000 0 69 0 9 0 0 
			 2001 0 66 0 10 0 0 
			 2002 0 61 0 11 0 1 
			 2003 0 60 0 10 0 7 
			 2004 0 60 0 11 0 8 
		
	
	
		Department of National Savings and Investments
		
			  Full-time Part-time Temporary 
			 As at 1 April each year Scottish borders Scotland Scottish borders Scotland Scottish borders Scotland 
		
		
			 1999 0 6 0 0 0 0 
			 2000 0 6 0 0 0 0 
			 2001 0 7 0 0 0 0 
			 2002 0 7 0 0 0 0 
			 2003 0 5 0 0 0 0 
			 2004 0 3 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	Note:
	Information prior to 1 April 1999 is not available.
	HM Treasury, Debt Management Office, Office for National Statistics, Royal Mint, and Government Actuary's Department have no full-time, part-time and temporary jobs in the Scottish Borders or Scotland since 1997.

Departmental Training

Charles Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) cost to the Department, (b) title and (c) location was of each training course organised by his Department for its staff in each financial year since 1997–98.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. For example, HM Customs and Excise alone delivered over 117,000 learning interventions last year.

Departmental Training

Charles Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial penalties were paid in each financial year since 1997–98 to training providers by the Department for training courses prepared for its staff which were subsequently cancelled at the Department's request.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Disabled Pension Tax Credits (Scotland)

David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the introduction of the working and disabled pension tax credits has changed support to low income families in (a) Scotland and (b) Midlothian.

Dawn Primarolo: The introduction of the working and child tax credits has sharply increased the number of working families with low or moderate incomes in Scotland and in Midlothian who are benefiting from financial support. The number of disabled workers in Scotland benefiting from tax credits has increased even more sharply.
	By April 2004, 201,800 families with children were receiving more than the family element of child tax credit in Scotland, 56 per cent. more than the number of families receiving working families' tax credit in November 2002. By January 2004, 3,100 families were receiving more than the family element of child tax credit in Midlothian, 57 per cent. more than the number receiving working families' tax credit in November 2002.
	By April 2004, 7,600 households in Scotland were benefiting from the disabled worker element of working tax credit, more than double the number of households receiving disabled person's tax credit in October 2002. Data on the number of households in Midlothian benefiting from the disabled worker element of working tax credit are not yet available.

Economic Activity (Wandsworth)

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the economic activity rate in the London borough of Wandsworth was in each of the last three years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Dennis Roberts to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 30 November 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about economic activity. I am replying in his absence. (199667)
	The attached table shows the working age economic activity rates in the London Borough of Wandsworth for the twelve month periods ending in February each year from 2002 to 2004. These estimates from the Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
	
		Economic activity rate(6) in the London borough of Wandsworth 12 month period ending in February each year
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 2002 84.2 
			 2003 80.5 
			 2004 80.9 
		
	
	(6) Economically active persons as a percentage of all working age population. Working age refers to men aged 16 to 64 and women 16 to 59.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey

E-Government

Paul Holmes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department's .gov.uk websites comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines adopted by the Government in 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: HM Treasury, Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise are all committed to comply with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. HM Treasury has recently redesigned its public website templates to comply with the World Wide W3C Guidelines 1.0 Double-A. The Inland Revenue already follows the W3C Guidelines 1.0 Double-A and HM Customs and Excise is committed to achieving compliance with the minimum level of the W3C Guidelines and aims to exceed them where possible. The new merged department HM Revenue and Customs will be committed to comply with the guidelines.

Ethiopia

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether all debt owed by Ethiopia to the UK has been extinguished; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The UK has written off 100 per cent. of debt owed by Ethiopia to the UK. Furthermore, under the recently proposed UK multilateral debt initiative Ethiopia will also qualify for multilateral debt relief as a post-completion point Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC). The UK will pay its share, approximately 10 per cent., of multilateral debt service owed by Ethiopia to the International Development Association and African Development Bank, and will continue to call on others to join us in this initiative.

Euro

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will meet the European Commissioner for External Trade to discuss setting a target date for British entry into the euro.

Stephen Timms: As the Chancellor said in his 2004 Budget speech,
	"while the Government do not propose a euro assessment be initiated at the time of this Budget, the Treasury will again review progress at Budget time next year and report to the House".

Britain in Europe

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will next meet representatives of Britain in Europe; and at what dates in the last year he has met representatives of Britain in Europe.

Stephen Timms: The Chancellor met most recently with representatives of Britain in Europe at their annual board meeting on 17 November. At present no further meetings have been scheduled.

Goodison Review

John Whittingdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to implement the recommendations of the Goodison Review: Securing the Best for our Museums; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: In the 2004 Spending Review the Government announced that:
	annual funding for the National Heritage Memorial Fund will double by 2007–08, compared to 2004–05;
	the Renaissance in the Regions programme for regional museums will be extended to all nine English regions; and
	the free access commitment, which currently covers the main national museums and galleries, and the VAT refund scheme that helps deliver free access, will be extended to university museums and galleries.
	Other recommendations relating to tax are being considered as part of our on-going work. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport also plans to transfer administrative functions to the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (formerly Resource) as recommended by the Goodison Review.

Household Water Supplies

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what percentage of households in the Greater London area were lacking the use of a hot water supply according to the 2001 Census;
	(2)  what percentage of households within the Greater London area were lacking the use of a bathroom according to the 2001 Census.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 30 November 2004
	The National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales has been asked to reply to your recent questions to the Chancellor of the Exchequer asking:
	1. what percentage of households in the Greater London area were lacking the use of a hot water supply according to the 2001 Census (199677)
	2. what percentage of households in the Greater London area were lacking the use of a bathroom according to the 2001 Census (199678)
	I am replying in his absence.
	A question about the availability of a hot water supply was not asked in the 2001 Census and consequently no figures are available.
	In the 2001 Census respondents were asked whether they had sole use of a bath, shower or toilet for their household as opposed to whether they lacked the use of a bathroom altogether. On Census day (29 April 2001) 1.06% of households in the London Government Office Region (GOR) were without the sole use of a bath, shower or toilet. That figure includes households with shared access and households with no access.
	The London GOR is equivalent to the administrative area of the Greater London Authority covering the 32 London Boroughs and the City of London. The figures have been extracted from Table UV60 on the Census 2001—Census Area Statistics (CAS) for Output Areas, wards and higher administrative geographies in England and Wales DVD, which is available in the House of Commons library.

Iraq

David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money has been allocated for future engagements in Iraq; and how much has been spent on the operation in Iraq to date.

Paul Boateng: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 17 November 2004, Official Report, columns 1504–05W.

Life Assurance

Norman Baker: To ask The Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he has taken in relation to the life assurance business following the publication of the Penrose Report.

Stephen Timms: The Government have enacted fundamental reform of the regulation of financial services by establishing the Financial Services Authority (FSA) as an integrated and independent regulator combining prudential and conduct of business regulation. A key part of the new regulatory regime is the creation of a comprehensive Financial Services Compensation Scheme and a single Financial Ombudsman Service.
	The FSA has proceeded to introduce risk-based insurance regulation and individual capital standards. It is also in the process of introducing realistic accounting by life offices, including a requirement to reserve for terminal bonus. In addition, the use of future profits implicit items is being phased out.
	The FSA is also removing responsibility for making key decisions on asset allocation and distribution in with-profits funds from the appointed actuary and transferring it to company boards and it has brought forward proposals on better treatment of customers by firms and fuller transparency of with-profits funds. Lord Penrose welcomed the FSA's regulatory reforms, which he said
	"has sought to anticipate many of the lessons that might be drawn by this enquiry and it should come as no surprise that it has largely succeeded".
	Subsequent to the Penrose report the Government have separately instigated a number of reviews which represent a significant opportunity to address the interests of future policyholders.
	Paul Myners is reviewing the governance of mutual life offices to make their boards as accountable to their members as those of comparable companies to their shareholders.
	Sir Derek Morris is leading a review of the actuarial profession considering how best to modernise the profession and see high standards are delivered in a more open, challenging and accountable professional culture.
	The Accounting Standards Board has launched a review of the accounting framework for with-profits business with particular emphasis on improving the transparency of reporting.

Life Expectancy

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the life expectancy at birth of (a) a male and (b) a female belonging to social class (i) I, (ii) II, (iii) IINM, (iv) IIIM, (v) IV and (vi) V has been in each of the last 25 years for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Dennis Roberts to Mr. Andrew Lansley, dated 30 November 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the life expectancy at birth of (a) a male and (b) a female belonging to social class (i) I, (ii) II, (iii) IIINM, (iv) HIM, (v) IV and (vi) V has been in each of the last 25 years for which figures are available. I am replying in his absence. (199454)
	Available figures are from the ONS Longitudinal Study, a one per cent. sample of the population. The most recently available estimates were published in Health Statistics Quarterly 15 1 for the period 1972 to 1999. The attached table presents life expectancy at birth by social class for males and females for five-year periods from 1972 to 1996, and for 1997–1999.
	1 Donkin, A., Goldblatt, P. and Lynch, K. (2002) Inequalities in life expectancy by social class, 1972–1999. Health Statistics Quarterly, 15:5–15.
	
		Life expectancy at birth by sex and social class, 1972 to 1999, England and Wales
		
			 Years 1972–76 1977–81 1982–86 1987–91 1992–96 1997–99 
		
		
			 Males   
			 I 72.0 74.7 75.1 76.7 77.7 78.5 
			 II 71.7 72.4 73.8 74.4 75.8 77.5 
			 IIIN 69.5 70.8 72.2 73.5 75.0 76.2 
			 IIIM 69.8 70.0 71.4 72.4 73.5 74.7 
			 IV 68.4 68.8 70.6 70.4 72.6 72.7 
			 V 66.5 67.0 67.7 67.9 68.2 71.1 
			 Females   
			 I 79.2 79.9 80.4 80.9 83.4 82.8 
			 II 77.0 78.1 78.5 80.0 81.1 81.5 
			 IIIN 78.0 78.1 78.6 79.4 80.4 81.2 
			 IIIM 75.1 76.1 77.1 77.6 78.8 79.2 
			 IV 75.0 76.1 77.3 77.0 111 78.5 
			 V 73.9 74.9 75.3 76.2 77.0 77.1

Mortgage Income Tax Relief

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Government abolished mortgage income tax relief; and what the estimated change in taxation for a typical household with a mortgage over £30,000 in 2004–05 is due to its abolition.

Dawn Primarolo: The MIRAS scheme was abolished in April 2000. The value of relief payable on £30,000 of loans in 2004–05 would depend on the rate of interest charged on the loan.

Ms Emma Bowers

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Inland Revenue's handling of tax credits claimed by Ms Emma Bowers of Glazebury, Warrington.

Dawn Primarolo: I understand that the Inland Revenue has made a thorough investigation of Miss Bowers' case and has written to my hon. Friend about it.

Office for National Statistics

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the calculations of the (a) RPI and (b) CPI made by the Office for National Statistics take into account changes in the standard quantities of the representative commodities contained in the indices.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. James Arbuthnot, dated 30 November 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question asking how the calculations of the RPI and CPI made by the Office for National Statistics take into account changes in the standard quantities of the representative commodities contained in the indices. (200591)
	Within each year, the RPI and CPI are fixed quantity consumer price indices. That is, changes in prices as measured by both indices are calculated as the change in the total cost to the average consumer of a basket of goods and services of fixed composition, quantity and quality.
	In practice, this is achieved by (a) holding constant each year the sample of representative goods and services for which prices are collected each month in estimating price changes more generally; and (b) applying a fixed set of weights to price changes for each of the items such that their influence on the overall index reflects their importance in the typical household budget. In this way, changes in the RPI and CPI indices from month to month reflect only changes in prices, and not ongoing variations in consumer purchasing patterns.
	However, the contents of the RPI and CPI baskets of goods and services and associated expenditure weights are updated annually so that the indices remain representative of consumer spending patterns over time. This is important in helping to avoid potential biases in consumer price indices that might otherwise arise, for example, due to the development of entirely new goods and services, or the tendency for consumers to substitute purchases away from those particular goods and services for which prices have risen relatively rapidly.
	For the RPI, changes to the items and weights are introduced in February each year, but with an overlapping collection of prices in January. This means that the figures for each year can be 'chain linked' together to form a long-run price index spanning many years. This procedure ensures that the annual changes to the basket and weights have no impact on estimated changes in prices as measured by the RPI. The same basic approach is likewise adopted in the CPI although, for technical reasons, it is necessary to chain link the published index twice each year rather than only once as in the RPI.
	These issues are described in greater detail in a range of articles published by ONS, which are available on the National Statistics website. The basic principles underlying the construction of the RPI and CPI are described in:
	David Roe and David Fenwick (2004) 'The New Inflation Target: the Statistical Perspective', Economic Trends No 602, http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/article.asp?id=688
	The basket of goods and services employed in the calculation of ONS consumer price indices and the associated weights are described respectively in:
	David Roe (2004), 'Consumer Prices Index and Retail Prices Index: the 2004 Basket of Goods and Services', http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/article.asp?ID=864
	David Baran (2004), 'Consumer Prices Index and Retail Prices Index: Updating weights for 2004', http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/article.asp?id=891

Redundancies

Paul Holmes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many redundancies have been notified in each quarter of each year since June 2001, broken down by nation and region; what these figures represent as a percentage of the total work force, broken down by nation and region; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Paul Holmes, dated 30 November 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about redundancy. (199620)
	The Labour Force Survey provides estimates of redundancies experienced by survey respondents in the three month period before their survey interviews. The attached table gives Labour Force Survey estimates for number of redundancies in each nation and region of the UK for each three month period from 2001 to 2004. The table also shows redundancy rates, i.e. redundancies as a proportion of the number of employees in each area.
	The estimates for the Labour Force Survey are, as with any statistical sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
	
		Redundancies: numbers and rates United Kingdom not seasonally adjusted -- Thousand
		
			 Three months ending UK GB England North east(7) North west Yorkshire and the Humber East Midlands West Midlands 
		
		
			 August 2001 175 171 145 8 21 14 12 18 
			 November 2001 187 184 163 9 24 21 12 13 
			 February 2002 209 204 173 11 25 11 14 20 
			 May 2002 194 189 164 8 22 10 15 24 
			 August 2002 173 169 144 5 20 15 11 21 
			 November,2002 166 163 139 9 16 12 16 12 
			 February 2003 183 179 149 9 20 13 13 21 
			 May 2003 156 152 135 8 20 14 12 17 
			 August 2003 153 148 129 4 16 8 15 21 
			 November 2003 148 146 120 6 18 8 10 14 
			 February 2004 137 134 116 6 22 10 11 10 
			 May 2004 143 141 121 3 15 12 9 18 
			 August 2004 135 133 121 7 16 11 13 11 
		
	
	
		Thousand
		
			 Three months ending Eastern London South east South west Wales(7) Scotland Northern Ireland(7) 
		
		
			 August 2001 20 16 26 10 9 16 4 
			 November 2001 16 23 31 12 7 15 3 
			 February 2002 17 24 35 15 11 21 4 
			 May 2002 22 22 27 14 8 17 5 
			 August 2002 15 20 21 16 7 18 4 
			 November,2002 15 17 27 15 9 16 3 
			 February 2003 16 21 24 11 13 18 3 
			 May 2003 13 12 27 11 5 12 4 
			 August 2003 12 16 26 11 7 12 4 
			 November 2003 14 16 23 11 7 19 2 
			 February 2004 16 15 17 9 5 13 3 
			 May 2004 15 15 24 12 5 15 2 
			 August 2004 12 16 21 13 4 8 2 
		
	
	(7) These estimates are based on small sample sizes and are therefore subject to a higher than usual degree of sampling variability. They should therefore be treated with caution.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey
	
		Redundancies: numbers and rates United Kingdom not seasonally adjusted -- Rate per 1,000 employees(8)
		
			 Three months ending UK GB England North east(9) North west Yorkshire and the Humber East Midlands West Midlands 
		
		
			 August 2001 7.3 7.3 7.2 8.1 8.0 6.8 7.1 8.4 
			 November 2001 7.8 7.8 8.0 9.7 9.1 10.3 7.1 6.2 
			 February 2002 8.6 8.7 8.5 11.8 9.5 5.4 7.6 9.4 
			 May 2002 8.1 8.1 8.1 8.3 8.0 5.1 8.3 11.2 
			 August 2002 7.2 7.2 7.1 5.5 7.5 7.5 6.5 9.5 
			 November,2002 6.8 6.9 6.8 8.8 6.0 6.1 8.8 5.5 
			 February 2003 7.5 7.6 7.3 9.3 7.3 6.4 7.3 9.5 
			 May 2003 6.4 6.4 6.6 8.1 7.4 6.9 7.0 7.9 
			 August 2003 6.3 6.3 6.4 3.8 5.9 4.0 8.7 9.6 
			 November 2003 6.1 6.2 5.9 6.0 6.6 3.6 5.7 6.7 
			 February 2004 5.7 5.7 5.7 6.0 8.0 4.9 6.0 4.8 
			 May 2004 5.9 6.0 6.0 2.7 5.5 5.7 5.1 8.4 
			 August 2004 5.6 5.6 5.9 7.4 5.8 5.6 7.4 5.1 
		
	
	
		Rate per 1,000 employees(8)
		
			 Three months ending Eastern London South east South west Wales(9) Scotland Northern Ireland(9) 
		
		
			 August 2001 8.5 5.7 7.4 5.2 8.8 7.9 7.0 
			 November 2001 7.0 7.8 8.9 6.1 6.5 6.9 4.6 
			 February 2002 7.4 8.2 10.0 7.5 10.2 9.8 7.5 
			 May 2002 9.6 7.5 7.8 7.1 8.1 8.1 8.4 
			 August 2002 6.4 6.9 5.9 7.9 6.4 8.4 6.6 
			 November,2002 6.6 5.6 7.7 7.4 8.3 7.5 4.3 
			 February 2003 7.0 7.3 7.1 5.3 11.7 8.3 5.2 
			 May 2003 5.7 4.2 7.9 5.5 4.8 5.5 6.1 
			 August 2003 5.3 5.6 7.5 5.5 6.2 5.7 6.9 
			 November 2003 6.3 5.7 6.7 5.2 5.8 8.8 3.3 
			 February 2004 6.8 5.3 5.1 4.4 4.3 6.1 4.6 
			 May 2004 6.4 5.2 6.9 5.6 4.5 6.9 2.9 
			 August 2004 5.0 5.7 6.1 6.5 3.8 3.8 3.4 
		
	
	(8) The redundancy rate is the ratio of the redundancy level for the given quarter to the number of employees in the previous quarter, multiplied by 1,000.
	(9) These estimates are based on small sample sizes and are therefore subject to a higher than usual degree of sampling variability. They should therefore be treated with caution.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey

Sikhs

James Plaskitt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is discussing with the Office for National Statistics changes to the 2011 Census forms which would recognise Sikhs as an ethnic group.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mr. James Plaskitt, dated 30 November 2004
	The National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking about changes to the 2011 Census forms which would recognise Sikhs as an ethnic group. I am replying in his absence. (200041)
	In planning for a census in 2011, arrangements will be put in place for consultation with a wide range of users on the form and content of the questions to be included, using similar criteria that were adopted in designing the 2001 Census form. The criteria used for 2001 were:
	there is a clearly demonstrated need for the information;
	users' requirements cannot adequately be met by information from other sources;
	the questions should be shown, in tests, to have no significantly adverse effect on the Census as a whole, particularly the level of public response; and that
	practicable questions can be devised to collect data that are sufficiently accurate to meet users' requirements.
	We recognise that ethnicity is an ever-changing concept and we want to reflect the contemporary nature of British society. However, comparability over time remains a very important issue. Because ethnicity is multifaceted, the current National Statistics practice is to collect as much information as possible on associated factors. For example, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) has questions on national identity, ethnic group, religious affiliation, country of birth, and nationality.
	It is also our view that we should test questions for the 2011 Census (when they are determined) before they are asked in the Census itself. In the meantime National Statistics guidelines on the measurement and collection of ethnicity data were published on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website earlier this year.
	(http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/ethnic_group_statistics/)
	They reflect the need for a balance between the prime requirement for comparability with the 2001 Census while, at the same time, acknowledging the fact that classifications are never set in stone.
	The ethnicity question will be reviewed as part of the general preparations for the 2011 Census. A paper entitled 'Strategic issues surrounding the 2011 Census questionnaire Content' was presented to the Census Advisory Groups earlier this month. ONS will begin its formal external user consultation on 2011 Census topics with the production of a consultation document, which will be published in spring 2005. This will be available via the ONS website and circulated to key users through the formal Census Advisory Groups mechanism. This document will set out ONS' current views on user requirements for outputs, along with information on the quality of 2001 Census responses and the key alternative sources for the information, and will seek responses by late summer 2005.
	You may like to know that the British Sikh Federation are represented on the newly convened Special Populations Advisory Group which covers the interests of special and minority population groups.

Tax Credits

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he plans to take to assist those families who are having to repay money to the Inland Revenue as a result of tax credit overpayments caused by administrative failures.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue's Code of Practice 'What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?' sets out their approach to handling overpayments of tax credits.
	Overpayments are collected from continuing awards wherever possible, subject to automatic limits on how much they collect.
	The Inland Revenue will accept that an overpayment should not be recovered if it arose because of their mistake and the person could reasonably have thought their award was right.

Tax Credits

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he plans to take to simplify the application (a) process and (b) forms for those families wishing to apply for the (i) working tax credit and (ii) child tax credit.

Dawn Primarolo: Claimants have to complete a claim form only once to get into the tax credits system. Thereafter, when they renew their claims each year, there are only two pages of a renewals form that need to be completed and returned. There is a straightforward step-by-step guide in every claim and renewals pack, as well as detailed guidance notes.
	The Inland Revenue continually look to improve the process for people claiming tax credits, either using the claim form or online.

Tax Credits

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he is making available about the process for repayment to families who are having to repay money to the Inland Revenue as a result of tax credit overpayments caused by administrative failures.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue's Code of Practice 26 'What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?' sets out their approach to handling overpayments of tax credits.
	The Code of Practice is available on the Inland Revenue website or from the tax credits helpline.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the processing of completed application forms for (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit takes place in the UK.

Dawn Primarolo: Claimants send their completed tax credits claim forms to the Inland Revenue's office in Netherton, Merseyside, where they are processed. People can, of course, also claim online.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of tax credit overpayments for 2003–04; how many such overpayments have been accepted as the fault of the Inland Revenue; and how many such overpayments will be written off.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary on 17 November 2004, Official Report, column 1511W.

Tax Credits

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of what caused the Inland Revenue error that led to the overpayment of tax credit payments; and what action he is taking to ensure that such an error will not occur again in the future.

Dawn Primarolo: Details are in the Inland Revenue's Annual Report for 2003–04, published on 21 October 2004, at page 42 and at page 104 of the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General attached to it.
	A software error in April and May 2003 caused incorrect payments of tax credits; the error was corrected for June 2003 onwards.

Tax Credits

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average length of time is that the Inland Revenue is taking to inform individual families that have received tax credit overpayments; and what period of notice is given before repayments of overpayments are requested.

Dawn Primarolo: Overpayments are established after the end of the tax year when an award has been finalised. When awards are finalised, claimants receive a final award notice setting out any overpayment that has arisen. Where there is a continuing entitlement to tax credits, overpayments are generally collected from future awards. But where that is not possible, the amount overpaid may be collected directly from the claimant. Information on the average length of time taken from identification of an overpayment and notifying the claimant of it is not available.
	The approach the Revenue takes to overpayments is contained in their Code of Practice 26 'What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?'(a copy of which has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Tobacco Tax

Roy Beggs: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of revenue from taxation on tobacco products in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

John Healey: Excise duty receipts for tobacco are included in the HM Customs and Excise Tobacco Bulletin', which can be found on a HM Customs and Excise website address at:
	<http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?tasksstat=bulltwo>
	The estimated Value Added Tax (VAT) receipts for tobacco for the financial year 2003–04 are not available, as information on VAT for individual products is not routinely collected.

Winter Deaths

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many excess winter deaths there were in each year since 1997 in (a) the UK, (b) each region and (c) each constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 30 November 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many excess winter deaths there were in each year since 1997 in (a) the UK, (b) each region and (c) each constituency. (200552)
	Excess winter death figures (the excess number of deaths each winter compared to the average during other months of the year) are not routinely calculated for the United Kingdom. Results for England and Wales from 1997/1998 to 2003/2004 are presented in the attached table. These figures have been published with results for Government Office Regions in England for winters from 1991/1992 to 2003/2004. This report, "Excess Winter Mortality—By Age Group and Region" can be found on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=7089
	Published figures for 2003/2004 are currently provisional and not available for areas smaller than Government Office Regions. I am placing in the House of Commons Library, information on numbers of excess winter deaths by each parliamentary constituency for winters from 1997/1998 to 2002/2003.
	
		Excess winter deaths,(10) England and Wales,(11) 1997–98 to 2003–04(12)
		
			  Excess winter deaths(10)(4) 
		
		
			 1997–98 22,900 
			 1998–99 46,840 
			 1999–2000 48,440 
			 2000–01 24,840 
			 2001–02 27,230 
			 2002–03 23,970 
			 2003–04(12) 23,500 
		
	
	(10) Excess winter deaths are defined by the Office for National Statistics as the difference between the number of deaths during the four winter months (December to March) and the average number of deaths during the four preceding months (August to November) and the following four months (April to July).
	(11) Including non-residents.
	(12) Figures for 2003–04 are provisional.
	(13) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Works of Art

John Whittingdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claims for conditional exemption for works of art were made in each year since 1976; and how many were accepted in each year.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Henley (Mr. Johnson) on 16 September 2004, Official Report, columns 1656–57W. Comparable figures for years before 1994 are not available.

HEALTH

Alcohol

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on his policy on the introduction of (a) compulsory and (b) voluntary labelling of units of alcohol on alcohol products;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on his policy on the introduction of (a) compulsory and (b) voluntary labelling of alcohol products with recommended units of alcohol consumption;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on his policy on the introduction of (a) compulsory and (b) voluntary labelling of alcohol products with recommendations regarding alcohol consumption by pregnant women.

Melanie Johnson: The voluntary social responsibility scheme for drinks producers will strongly encourage drinks companies to participate in promoting well being, including putting the sensible drinking message clearly on bottles alongside information about unit content.
	There are no plans to include compulsory or voluntary labelling of alcohol products regarding alcohol consumption by pregnant women. However, the Department is preparing a revised leaflet—"Drinking for two"—on drinking and pregnancy.

Aspergers Syndrome

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether people with Aspergers Syndrome who have an IQ of over 70 qualify for social services assessment under the fair access to care services practice guidelines; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 29 November 2004
	A local authority social services department has a duty to carry out an assessment where it appears to them that someone may be in need of community care services. Decisions to carry out assessments are not made on the basis of a person's intelligence quotient.

Child Incontinence

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure children who are doubly incontinent are provided with more than five incontinence pads for every 24 hours; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 29 November 2004
	The Department published "Good Practice in Continence Services" in April 2000. This provided health authorities and primary care trusts (PCTs) with good advice on various continence matters. This includes advice that PCTs should have specialist continence services in place, which provide patients with an individual assessment of their needs. Pads should be provided in quantities appropriate to the individual's continence needs. The setting of arbitrary ceilings is not appropriate.

Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget for the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence is in each of the next five years.

John Hutton: The Council's budget for the current year, 2004–05, is £2 million. Budgets are agreed each year so that they can be informed by the Council's annual business plan.

Disabled People (Direct Payments)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which local authorities have set up support systems to enable them to make direct payments to disabled people.

Stephen Ladyman: We have made it mandatory for all local authorities to make direct payments to all eligible individuals who would like them. We do not monitor the number of local authorities who have set up support systems. However, we are spending £9 million over three years in grants to 108 different councils working in partnership with voluntary sector organisations to promote the use of direct payments. Other councils may have set up support systems using their general funding. In addition, grant funding went to two voluntary organisations working at a national level.
	In addition, the Department has produced user-friendly information in a variety of formats promoting direct payments. Councils should supplement this with locally appropriate information.

Expenditure (Leeds)

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expenditure on medicines switched from Leeds health authorities to the Prescription Pricing Authority has been since 1997–98.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not available, since expenditure accounted for by the Prescription Pricing Authority cannot be allocated to individual health bodies.

Food Additives

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment (a) his Department and (b) the Food Standards Agency has made of the effects of artificial (i) colourings, (ii) flavourings and (iii) additives on children.

Melanie Johnson: Responsibility for food safety lies with the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Food additives, including colourings, are authorised for use only after a rigorous safety assessment by independent scientific committees. This assessment includes a consideration of all age groups within the population. There is some concern on the effects of some food additives on the behaviour of children but the assessment of the results of studies have shown that there is still significant scientific uncertainty. The FSA has commissioned a study into the effects of some colourings and preservatives on children's behaviour, and results are expected in spring 2007.
	The approval process of flavourings is different. All flavourings and indeed, each constituent of a flavouring blend, must be safe under the terms of the Food Safety Act 1990. The European Commission is working towards a positive list of permitted chemically defined flavouring substances (either natural, nature-identical or artificial). A European Union-wide register of flavouring substances, approximately 2,800 substances, provides the basis for this work on safety evaluations, currently being undertaken by the European Food Safety Authority.

GM Foods

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts regarding the right of member states to exclude genetically modified foods; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 29 November 2004
	None.

Health Direct

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Health Direct will be established as a subsidiary of NHS Direct; whether NHS Direct and Health Direct will share the same access points; and if he will make a statement.

Miss Johnson: The implementation of this and a number of other initiatives announced will be covered in a delivery plan for the White Paper, to be published early in 2005.

Health Trainers

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS health trainers will be required to complete a criminal records check through the Criminal Records Bureau.

John Hutton: All national health service staff with access to patients in the course of their normal duties are eligible for Criminal Records Bureau checks. These checks will be compulsory for all eligible new staff from 14 February 2005.

Health White Paper

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of delivering the proposals in the White Paper, Choosing Health, Cm 6374; what methodology was used to make this estimate; what proportion of the cost will be met by funds provided (a) centrally and (b) from other funding sources; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: We will invest at least £1 billion in improving health over the next four years. We have calculated this figure by identifying the additional requirements of the Choosing Health White Paper and costing these on the basis of best evidence available.
	The allocation of funds is being considered by Ministers and announcements will be made early in 2005 from the Department's spending review settlement.

Health White Paper

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether all children will be provided with children's health guides under the Child Health Promotion programme, as described in the White Paper, Choosing Health, Cm 6374, paragraph 23.

Stephen Ladyman: Children's health guides are a radical new approach to help children, parents and carers assess the child's health and set their own health goals. Everyone will have the opportunity to have a personal health guide if they want one, and will be able to develop their guide in electronic form, linked to their "HealthSpace" on the Internet. The implementation and details of this, and other initiatives, will become clearer early in 2005 when the Government will publish its delivery plan for the White Paper.

Health White Paper

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the change in the number of deaths from passive smoking each year likely to result from his proposals to restrict smoking in public places, as outlined in the White Paper, Choosing Health, Cm 6374, paragraph 77;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the change in the proportion of daily smokers in England which will result from his proposals on restricting smoking in public places, as outlined in the White Paper, Choosing Health, Cm 6374, paragraph 76; and on what research this estimate was based.

Melanie Johnson: A partial impact regulatory assessment (RIA) has been published, which gives initial estimates of the possible impact on smoking prevalence. A copy is available in the Library.
	No estimate has been made of the likely annual change in the number of deaths from second-hand smoke to result from the proposals in the White Paper.

Health White Paper

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what body has been charged with the development of a tool to assess local health and wellbeing as described in the White Paper, Choosing Health, Cm 6374, paragraph 12.

Melanie Johnson: The Department and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are working together to commission this development.

Mayday Hospital, Croydon

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the routine waiting times for digital audio equipment at Mayday Hospital in Croydon (a) are and (b) were 12 months ago.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Mental Health

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the three long-stay hospitals that provide accommodation for people with a learning disability for which closure dates have not yet been agreed.

Stephen Ladyman: The three long-stay hospitals for which closure dates have not yet been agreed are Little Plumstead, Long Leys Court and Orchard Hill. The "Valuing People" support team is working with health authorities on this programme. The team can be contacted via its website at http://www.valuingpeople.gov.uk/.
	
		
			  Allocation Total increase 
			 PCT £ £ 
		
		
			 2004–05  
			 Central Cornwall 188,064 15,891 9.23 
			 East Devon 115,315 9,407 9.88 
			 Exeter 119,043 9,990 9.16 
			 Mid Devon 89,630 7,436 9.05 
			 North and East Cornwall 149,437 12,362 9.02 
			 North Devon 143,972 12,298 9.34 
			 Plymouth 250,372 20,424 8.88 
			 South Hams and West Devon 98,089 8,004 8.89 
			 Teignbridge 103,084 8,409 8.88 
			 Torbay 141,006 12,469 9.70 
			 West of Cornwall 157,833 13,607 9.43 
			 
			 2005–06  
			 Central Cornwall 204,875 16,811 8.94 
			 East Devon 125,106 9,791 8.49 
			 Exeter 129,608 10,565 8.88 
			 Mid Devon 97,491 7,862 8.77 
			 North and East Cornwall 162,502 13,065 8.74 
			 North Devon 156,979 13.007 9.03 
			 Plymouth 271,630 21,257 8.49 
			 South Hams and West Devon 106,420 8.331 8.49 
			 Teignbridge 111,836 8,752 8.49 
			 Torbay 153,987 12,981 9.21 
			 West of Cornwall 172,199 14,366 9.10

Mental Health

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of children who have been assessed as needing support from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services are in mainstream education in each region; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not collected centrally. A survey by the Office of National Statistics (Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in Great Britain, ONS 1999) found that among five to 10 year olds, 10 per cent. of boys and 6 per cent. of girls had a mental disorder. In the 11 to 15 year old age group, the proportion of children with any type of mental disorder was 13 per cent. for boys and 10 per cent. for girls. Mental disorders can range from clinically significant conduct disorders, emotional disorders—such as anxiety and depression—to hyperactivity.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken since 1997 to promote the use of nicotine replacement therapy on the NHS.

Miss Johnson: We have successfully taken a range of measures to promote the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) since 1997, including making all nicotine replacement products available on national health service prescription from April 2001. The effect of these measures is shown in the following table.
	
		Number of prescription items and net ingredient cost of NRT products dispensed in the community in England from 1997 to 2003
		
			  Number of prescription items (thousand) Net ingredient cost (£ thousand) 
		
		
			 1997 2.4 35.9 
			 1998 14.9 182.8 
			 1999 21.9 395.9 
			 2000 33.9 702.7 
			 2001 651.7 14,425.6 
			 2002 1,168.3 25,462.5 
			 2003 1,297.4 28,520.5 
		
	
	Source:
	Prescription cost analysis data from the Prescription Pricing Authority.

Nocturnal Enuresis

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of children in (a) England, (b) the South West and (c) Dorset who suffer from nocturnal enuresis; what the ratio is of treatment centres to the child population in England; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many national health service treatment centres for paediatric continence there are, broken down by region;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of national health services for paediatric continence; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Data on the numbers of children with nocturnal enuresis and national health service treatment centres for nocturnal enuresis and paediatric continence are not collected centrally.
	NHS primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for assessing the need for paediatric continence services, commissioning services and for provision of services. In September 2004 we published the national service framework (NSF) for children, young people and maternity services. This is a 10-year programme, intended to stimulate long-term and sustained improvement in children's health by setting standards for health and social services for children.
	The NSF directs PCTs to guidance issued in 2000, "Good Practice in Continence Services", which advises that each PCT should have specialist continence services in place. PCTs are also directed to the Modernisation Agency's 2003 publication, "Good practice in paediatric continence services—benchmarking in action".

Nurses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much it costs the NHS to train a nurse.

John Hutton: The latest year for which figures are available show that, in 2003–04, the national average cost of tuition to train a nurse over the three years of their course was £19,370. Diploma students would also be entitled to a non-means tested bursary, which in 2003–04 averaged £6,772 per annum.

Nurses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the number of nurses that have left the UK for employment as a nurse (a) in the USA and (b) elsewhere in each of the last 10 years.

John Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) holds information on the number of checks made by overseas regulators that nurses in the United Kingdom are on the NMC register. As these figures show the number of checks made, they will overstate the actual number going abroad each year. This information can be found on the NMC website at www.nmc-uk.org.

Peninsula Medical School

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors are in training at the Peninsula Medical School.

John Hutton: As at 31 July 2004, there were 302 students studying medicine at the Peninsula Medical School. Intake figures for autumn 2004 are not yet available.

Pharmaceutical Dispensing

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects repeat dispensing from pharmacies will be available in all parts of the country; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Since regulations came into force in May 2003, 89 primary care trusts across the country are able to operate repeat dispensing arrangements.
	Repeat dispensing is one of the essential services to be provided by all community pharmacies as part of the new contractual framework for community pharmacy. National roll-out will therefore be in the context of implementing this new framework, which is expected to go live from April 2005. There will be a six month transitional period, so community pharmacies will have until October 2005, to ensure they are in a position to provide this as an essential service in the new contractual framework.

Pregnant Women

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the cost of administering the test for group B streptococcus to pregnant women is in this financial year;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of (a) the effectiveness and (b) the cost of alternative screening tests for group B streptococcus; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the UK National Screening Committee (NSC) have all recommended that routine screening for group B streptococcus. (GBS) should not be offered to all pregnant women in the United Kingdom, as there is insufficient evidence that this would do more good than harm.
	The NSC is undertaking further work on the prevention of GBS infection in newborn babies. This will include an assessment of the different diagnostic tests. We do not hold information about national health service costs of administering tests for GBS.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will include pulmonary rehabilitation in the payment by results NHS funding tariff; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: In 2005–06, the national tariff will cover all admitted patients—day-cases, elective and non-elective in-patients, out-patients and accident and emergency services unless the services those patients receive are specifically excluded from the scope of the tariff. Rehabilitation, but not specifically pulmonary rehabilitation, is excluded from the tariff where, for admitted patients it takes place in a discrete rehabilitation ward or unit or where, for admitted or out-patients, the activity is coded to specialty 314 (rehabilitation).

Regional Tobacco Control Managers

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the post of Regional Tobacco Control Managers is a new position; and what the job description is.

Melanie Johnson: Since May 2003, regional tobacco control managers have a remit to provide strong leadership on tobacco control across each Government office region, by working with key partners to deliver the goals of the national tobacco control programme, including the coordination and funding of local tobacco alliances. Their roles will now include delivery of the White Paper, "Choosing Health".

Restraint (Children)

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what methods of restraint are approved for use on children in (a) hospitals and (b) secure hospitals.

Stephen Ladyman: Guidance on the use of restraint is set out in the Mental Health Act code of practice, paragraphs 19.6 to 19.15. This states that restraint by physical means should take place only as a last resort and never as a matter of course. In addition, the guidance states that any restraint used should: be reasonable in the circumstance; apply the minimum force necessary to prevent harm to the patient or others; be used for only as long as is necessary; and be sensitive to gender and race issues. The advice applies in all healthcare settings and to all age ranges. Trusts should regularly audit their control and restraint procedures consistent with the framework of clinical governance.

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the findings of the inquiry conducted by Professors Triston and Townsend into waiting irregularities at the Royal National Orthopaedic hospital, with particular reference to the findings concerning Barnet primary care trust; and what assessment he has made of the implications of the findings for the star rating of Barnet primary care trust for 2004–05.

Stephen Ladyman: I welcome the steps taken by North Central London strategic health authority (SHA) to commission the inquiry and note that arrangements for managing waiting lists are now satisfactory at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.
	I understand that in the light of the inquiry, North Central London SHA and Barnet primary care trust have made representations to the Healthcare Commission concerning the impact on 2004–05 star ratings.
	Responsibility for calculating performance ratings for 2004–05 is a matter for the independent Healthcare Commission, not the Department

South and West Devon Health Authority

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was provided for the former South and West Devon health authority area in (a) 1997 and (b) 2002–03; and what the percentage change was.

John Hutton: The table shows revenue allocations to South and West Devon health authority (HA) made in 1997–98 and 2002–03 and the increase in percentage terms for 1997–98 and 2002–03.
	It is not possible to make comparisons between the allocations made in 1997–98 and 2002–03 as 1999–2000 was the first year unified allocations were made to HAs to cover hospital and community health services, prescribing and general medical services cash limited.
	
		Allocations to South and West Devon HA
		
			 Period Allocation (£000) Cash increase (percentage) 
		
		
			 1997–98 267,134 3.68 
			 2002–03 499,768 9.42

South West Pensinsula Area

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) total and (b) percentage change in funding for each primary care trust in the South West Peninsula Area was between 2003–04 and 2005–06.

John Hutton: The table shows the total allocations and percentage increase in funding for each primary care trust (PCT) in the South West Peninsula area between 2003–04 and 2005–06.
	
		Allocations to South West Peninsula Strategic Health Authority are PCTs 2003–04 to 2005–06 -- 2003–04
		
			  Allocation Total increase 
			 PCT £000 £000 Percentage 
		
		
			 Central Cornwall 172,173 14,826 9.42 
			 East Devon 105,908 8,856 9.12 
			 Exeter 109,053 9,320 9.35 
			 Mid Devon 82,193 6,941 9.22 
			 North and East Cornwall 137,074 11,526 9.18 
			 North Devon 131,674 11,475 9.55 
			 Plymouth 229,948 19,237 9.13 
			 South Hams and West Devon 90,085 7,506 9.09 
			 Teignbridge 94,675 7,922 9.13 
			 Torbay 128,536 11,618 9.94 
			 West of Cornwall 144,227 12,687 9.65

Speech Therapists

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the (a) need for and (b) availability of speech therapy at head and neck clinics; and what plans he has to provide dedicated funding for speech therapists at head and neck clinics.

Stephen Ladyman: No assessment has been carried out centrally.